
Olasa-iSV 3 7$ 
Kook„ , .. 




1R]BV*B* SaMT^ gTCJBBTSTST-T. 



2>28(B<S>W&9&1 



©N TH© 



PARABLE 



SOWER 



By SAMUEL STENNETT, D. D. 



"•* Take heed how ye hear." — Jesus Christ. 



THE FIRST AMERICAN, FROM THE 10NDON 
EBITION OF 1786. 



BRIDGETON, JV. J. 

PUBLISHED BY JEDIDIAH DAVIS & JOHN BEIGHT. 

SIMEON SIEGERIED, PRINTER. 

1823. 






&p' 



■^l»f »■ 



TO THE READER/ 



The publishers deem it unnecessary to 
say much respecting the Author of the 
work now brought into the reader's hand* 
The best testimony to following genera- 
tions, of departed worth in the Gospel 
field, is chiefly to be derived by observing 
the fruits of their labours, either in raising 
Churches, building up the saints in their 
most holy faith, or leaving something on 
record from their own pens for our in- 
struction and edification. 

The following account is extracted from 
No. XIII of Rippon's Register, for Au- 
gust, JL 79 6 . The account itself was chiefly 
drawn up hj the Rev. Joseph Jen-kins,!).!). 
and communicated by him for insertion in 
the Register, under the title prefixed to 
the following pages. 



ez:ef memoirs 



QE THE LATE 



Key. SAMUEL STENNETT 5 B. B. 



Dr. Samuel Stennett, the younger* son of 
Dr. Joseph Stennett, a former worthy pastor of the 
Baptist churcii m Little Wild-street, Lincoln's- 
inn-fields, London, was born at Exeter, in which 
city his father had been many years pastor of the 
Baptist church, before his residence in London, 
He \aas formed by nature, and by grace, for the 
distinguished figure he afterwards made. To the 
strength of natural faculties, vigour of imagina- 
tion, and acuten^ss of judgment of which he w T as 
possessed, he had added, from his earliest years, 
so close an attention to reflection and study, that 
there was scarcely a topic in science or literature, 
in religion, or even politics, but he seemed to have 
investigated : and so habitual was it to him to ar- 
range his ideas on the different subjects, in a man- 
ner peculiar to himself, aud yet quite natural, that 
when a question, which to others was new, unusual, 
or perplexed, hath been proposed to him, they were 
surprised to find how familiarly he was acquaint- 

Dr. Stennett had an elder brother, Mr. Joseph Stennett, 
who was pastor of the Baptist Church at Coate, in Oxfordshiie. 
He died in 1/69, and a funeral sermon fcr him was published by 
the Rey. Mr, Turner, of Abingdon, 

|# 






6 MEMOIRS OF THE 

ed with it. In a few sentences he would develope 
the difficulty as far as a reasonable man could ex- 
pect satisfaction, for he enjoyed an happy facility 
of resolving intricate matters, so that confusion 
seemed to fly before his comprehensive mind. His 
preparatory studies for the ministry were passed 
under the tuition of the Rev. Mr. Hubbard^, for- 
merly an eminent theological tutor, and under that 
celebrated linguist Dr. John Walker, once of the 
Academy at Mile-End, which was afterwards re- 
moved to Homerton ; whose successful method of 
instruction furnished so many Dissenting congre- 
gations, as well as churches in the Establishment, 
with critical, learned, and evangelical ministers. 
Dr. Stennett's attainments in Latin, Greek, and 
the Oriental tongues, and his knowledge of sacred 
literature, are abundantly visible in his valuable 
controversial writings, and the variety of discourses 
lie hath published. Besides which, his acquaint- 
ance with modern authors, with what is common- 
ly styled polite learning, history, the constitution 
and language of his country — his command of 
words upon all occasions, and that mellifluous art 
he had of putting them together — the chastity of 
his diction — his lovely talent for poetry (which he 
chiefly applied to religious subjects) — -the melting 
elocution with which he spoke — the cheerfulness and 
entertainment of his common conversation — the 
lively sallies of his wit — his consummate prudence 
and power over his own temper—the unaffected gen- 
tility 'of his address, and the politeness of his man- 
ners, were so pleasing, that whenever he was spo- 
ken of it was with affection or admiration. Such 
was his affability of mind, that he could accom- 

* Predecessor of the late Rev, Samuel Brewer in the pastoral 
3f£ce at Stepney, 



KEV. DR. SAMUEL STESfXETT. T 

modate himself to the meanest, and give advice 
and comfort to the poor, the vulgar, and the illite- 
rate. — In many a wretched apartment in the city 
of London, he has wept over the sick and dying, 
generously relieved their wants, and with his 
knees on the hare floor, has lifted up his cries to 
God for them. And yet if called upon, he was so 
perfectly at ease in the higher circles of life, that 
respectahle personages in honorable stations and 
of noble rank, have sought his friendship, and 
thought themselves honoured by it : all the use he 
made of which was, to v embrace the greater op- 
portunity it gave him of doing good ; nor was he 
to be retarded in this pursuit by the attacks of 
obloquy and slander ; a good conscience in the 
sight of God earned him above the reproaches of 
censoriousness and calumny. Had ambition, his 
personal emolument, or preferment of any kind 
been his objects, his own accomplishments and 
large connexions opened a ready door to them : and 
what is more, he might have had preferment uh- 
envied. Persons of eminence in the establishment 
have expressed their regret that Dr. Stennett 
was not among them; voluntarily remarking, that 
there is not a situation in the national church 
which he was undeserving of. But though he was 
candid to the opinion of others, a friend to private 
judgment, and a lover of good men of every per- 
suasion; he was a Dissenter — a Dissenter from 
principle — a Baptist;^— he desired no higher 
honor upon earth, than to be an useful Baptist 
Minister;! and the only preferment he had (if we 

* The family of the Stennetts were not only Dissenters, and 
Baptists,— but, from unquestionable accounts they were, properly 
©peaking, Seventh-Day Baptists. Publishers. 

t The article " Baptist," in Dr. Rees* edition of Chambers* 
Cyclopedia, was drawn up by Dr, Stennett. 



£ MEMOIRS 0£ THE 

may so call that which had no emolument what- 
ever) was, that in the year 1763, the King's Col- 
lege and University of Aberdeen, unsolicited by 
him, conferred upon him the degree pf Doctor in 
Divinity. But this honour did not elevate his 
mind above what he was before. No; he was still 
the same humble christian ; and to -God-lie had 
consecrated his days, his talents, his strength, his 
reputation, his all. He was called by the grace 
of God in early life, and it is conjectured that 
the circumstances attending his conversion majf 
fairly be gathered from the following hymn, with 
which he appeared more pleased than with ma- 
ny others which he had composed, and suffer- 
ed to be published. It is the 437th in Dr. Rip- 
pon's Selection.*" 

PKAISE FOR CONVERSION. PsaljYl Ixvi. 16. 

1 Come, ye that fear the Lord, 
And listen while I tell, 
How narrowly my feet escaped 
The snares of Death and Hell ! 

£ The flattering joys of sense 
AssaiPd my foolish heart. 
While Satan, with malicious skilly 
Guided the poisonous dart. 

3 I fell beneath the stroke, 
But fell to rise again : 

My anguish rous'd me into life, 
And pleasure sprung from pain. 

4 Darkness, and shame, and grief 
Oppressed my gloomy mind; 

* There are many hymns in Rippon's Selection distinguished 
"rhus- -Dr. S. Stennett,— which, ef course, are the effusions of 
£is pen. - Publisher*. 



vREV. DR. SAMT7EX STENNETT. § 

I Iook'd around me for relief, 
But no relief could find. 

, 3 At lengthy to God I cry'd t 
He- heard my plaintive sigh, 
He heard, and instantly he sent 
Salvation from on high. 

6 My drooping head he raised, 
My hleeding wounds he heal'd, 

Pardon'd my sins, and with a smile 
The gracious pardon seaPd. 

7 O ! may I ne'er forget 
The mercy of my God ; 

Nor ever want a tongue to spread 
His loudest praise abroad. 

Under these impressions he voluntarily present 
ed himself a living sacrifice unto the Lord. Bap- 
tized by his own father when very young, he be- 
came a member of the Baptist church in Wild- 
street, of which he was the ornament for more 
than fifty years, and forty-seven of them he minis- 
tered to the Church in Wild-street, first as assist- 
ant to his father, and afterwards as his successor 
in the pastoral office, to which he was ordained in 
the year 1758. 

How naturally he cared for the dissenting inte- 
rest was visible from his assiduous labours for its 
prosperity, and the use he made of his intercourse 
with the great, for obtaining objects of vast im- 
portance towards the extension of religious liber- 
ty j for deliverance from those shackles that were 
oppressive, and which might in worse times prove 
an handle for persecution. His judicious publica- 
tions upon that occasion will long speak for him, 



10 MEMOIRS OF THE 

as will the respect he at all times paid to each de- 
nomination, and his readiness to serve them in 
every good work. Difference of religious senti- 
ments made not the least alteration in his beha- 
viour. And though he might think the difference 
of such magnitude, that he durst not venture his 
own soul upon the sentiments of others, still he 
knew that the wrath of man worketh not the 
righteousness of God, and that bad temper, bad 
manners, and illiberal epithets, would not recom- 
mend the love of God, or the truth as it is in Jesus. 
There was not an austere feature to be seen in his 
countenance, nor a forbidding accent heard to fall 
from his lips.. 

The Baptist denomination lay particularly near 
his heart, and his concern for it ran uniformly 
through his whole life. In the earlier part of his 
ministry he proved how well qualified he was for 
the tuition of the younger brethren intended for 
the service of the sanctuary ; and he was the means 
of introducing into public life some worthy charac- 
ters, whose learning and ministerial abilities 
were a credit to -the cause they espoused.* But 
if the diversity of his other engagements prevent- 
ed his continuance in that capacity, he was happy 
whenever an opportunity offered of infusing in- 
struction, indeed of saying or doing any thing that 
might contribute to the good of that profession 
which he judged to be nearest the plan of the sa- 
cred scriptures. It was his delight to promote 
peace and brotherly love j to make up differences, 

* One of his pupils called into the ministry by his church, was 
the Rev. W. Clarke, A. M. formerly pastor of the Baptist Church 
in Unicorn-yard, Southwark, but more iarely of that in Exeter, 
who died a few days before him- -a man of deep reflection, exten- 
sive learning, and of a meat excellent spirit. His biography may 
be seen in the Baptist Register for Sept, 1794, page 2?6. 



EEV. im. SAMTJEX • STENNETT* 1 £ 

%r explain misunderstandings, that at any time 
unhappily took place in churches or among minis- 
ters. He grudged no pains : and many can recol- 
lect repeated instances in which God made him 
remarkably instrumental in bringing about so de- 
sirable an end. If the churches were in harmony, 
and appeared upon sound principles to prosper, no 
man took greater pleasure than he did, or had 
more heart-felt sorrow at the contrary appear- 
ances. 

What he was in his pastoral office will long, 
and affectionately be remembered. His christian 
friends will never forget what he was to the very 
short interval between his labours and his decease 
— With what unwearied zeal he appeared in the 
house of God — With what fervor and humility he 
went before them in supplications to the throne of 
grace ! — With what clearness and warmth he 
opened the scriptures, declared the tidings of sal- 
vation to them, and as a father doth his children, 

exhorted, comforted, warned, directed them ! 

With what solemnity he administered the ordi- 
nance of baptism !— With what sacred ardour he 
petitioned God, when in prayer he laid hands upon 
the baptized at the time of their admission into the 
Church— With what melting pathos he statedly 
administered the memorials of the body and blood 
of the Lord !— With what emphasis, even to tears, 
he would frequently repeat those lines of Drl 
Young, 

" A pardon bought with blood! With blood divine ! 
" With blood divine, of him I made my foe ("— 

In what a pleasing and familiar manner he ex- 
pounded the word of God in the private meetings 
of the Church !— With what prudence he presided 
in their assemblies for deliberation, and how anx- 



12" memoirs of the 

ious he was that unanimity might prevail among 
them ! — Nor must it be omitted how ardently he 
recommended to them the annual charity, common- 
ly called the fund for the relief of indigent min- 
isters. What pride (if we may so speak) he took, 
if they excelled in that duty ; and how much was 
his heart drawn out to the dear children who at- 
tended worship with his people, and whom he ad- 
dressed publicly, and more privately, as those 
that he hoped would be the future seed of the 
church, and ripen to the glory of God, when the 
present generation hath left the world ! — With 
What tenderness did he, as long and as often as 
he was able, visit his charge, and impart sympa- 
thy and help in their afflictions ; and how frank, 
open and accessible was he at all seasons, when his 
advice or assistance was sought !— With what 
faithfulness, yet meekness, did he even rebuke 
where necessary, and how glad was he to restore 
the unsettled, or reclaim the wandering ! — His 
friends know, and God also, after what manner 
he was with them, and how he kept back nothing 
that was profitable, but shewed them and taught 
them, publicly and from house to house, testifying 
repentance towards God, and faith towards our 
Lord Jesus Christ 

As an husband, a father, and a master of a fam- 
ily, he was alike upright and exemplary* United 
in marriage with one of the best of women, they 
lived together in the closest and most uninterrupt- 
ed affection, for more than forty years. She was a 
picture of unaffected piety and good-nature, and he 
walked with her as an heir of the grace of life, till 
about five months ago, she stepped out of this world 
a little before him, that she might, as it were, meet 
him, and welcome him to glory. The acknowl- 
edgement of God in their family met with ample 



REV. DR. SAMUEL STEXNETT. IS 

reward. The tender lave and christian solicitude 
they bore towards their children was returned with 
reciprocal affection, and they had the happiness of 
seeing them walk in the ways of God, and their 
son a preacher of the gospel. The concern they 
shewed for the domestics of their family, for their 
spiritual good especially, was such as it i^ hoped 
will not be forgotten by them. Pleasing instances 
are recollected in which God blessed the master of 
the family for the conversion of his servants, partic- 
ularly of one servant who, at an affecting church- 
meeting in Wild-street, told the church how a check 
was given to the thoughtlessness of his youth, and 
his resolution for sin, at Dr. Stennett*s family 
worship; and how, born again in his master's 
house, he was brought into the road to Zion. 
Those who were present heard in silence and in 
tears, and their hearts praised God.^ Nor were 
his endeavours confined to his own family, the 
whole neighbourhood shared in them, and good 
effects have been heard of the very last sermon he 
preached at Musweii-Hill, where he resided the 
latter years of his life. 

But that which diffused vigour and animation 
through all the rest was his character as a man — - 
a Christian. He set the Lord before him — had 
habitual recourse to prayer, private and mental— 
and walked with God. When he related the in- 
ward workings of his mind, it appeared how deep* 
ly he had entered into the spirit of experimental 
religion ; and on this head, where he was inti- 

* This was a very remarkable story of a profane and vicious 
youth, tutored on a bowling green, whom the Doctor, at the ear- 
nest request of an aged member, the boy's aunt, took into his 
iamily, and who afterwards proved a very godly man. The 
urch will recollect with respect the name of John Hancock., 



o 



'14 MEMOIRS 9F 7THB 

mate he would astonish. Much of it was seen als© 
in his preaching and his behaviour; — in that dis- 
interestedness, which made him think that he was 
the debtor of all if he could do them good ; — that 
patient submission to the divine will in a variety 
of trying afflictions, and none more trying than 
the dissolution of a long and a most affectionate 
connexion, by the death of his wife; — that for- 
giveness of injuries., and disposition to put the 
hest construction upon the actions of other people ; 
that abhorrence of evil speaking, which, as it was 
commonly remarked of Mrs. Stennett, that "no 
one heard her speak evil of any one however bad :" 
so if the Doctor heard any one spoken evil of, he 
would reply, & Well, see now if you can't tell 
something good of that person." 

Mrs. Stennett's dissolution was a very great 
affliction to the Doctor and his family. Though 
she had been for some time rather declining in 
her health, yet her being at last so quickly remov- 
ed was what they little expected. She was con- 
fined to her bed only about a week. His disorder 
was of the nervous kind, and greatly affected her 
spirits. A delirium attended her illness, but yet 
she was enabled at intervals so to express herself 
as afforded those round about her no small plea- 
sure. Being happy that those whom she so tender- 
ly loved were with her in her affliction, she said 
at different times, " I dwell among my own peo- 
ple,"— and then, "Jesus is the only Saviour,"— 
«My Christ! Glory! Glory!" Her son asked 
her if she did not love Christ, she replied, " Yes." 
Dr. Stennett said to her, " All is well, my dear," 
she answered, "Yes," She had walked humbly 
with God, was remarkably fond of the dutiesof 
retirement, and took great delight in reading boo^s 



KEY. DR. SAMUEL STJSWNETT. IS 

of experience. Her end was peaceful and serene 
— her death hed was a most pleasing one, and she 
might well be said to fall asleep in Jesus. She 
died March 16, 1795, and was buried in the fami- 
ly vault in Bunhill Fields. Mr. Booth delivered 
the address at her interment, and Mr. Josiah 
Thompson, of Clapham, preached her funeral dis- 
course the following Lord's day, at Wild-street. 

The death of Mrs. Stennett was an event that 
presaged his own removal. He was submissive to 
the supreme disposal, but did not appear to have 
any further regard for living in this world, or to 
think of his long continuance in it. All his talk 
seemed to be a repetition of these words, « The 
time of my departure is a? hand." The duties of 
his ministry indeed he went to with redoubled dili- 
gence, as if aware that the night was coming when 
he could no longer work ; and he was hardly with- 
held from those super-abundant exercises, that 
must have been immediately detrimental to his 
health. His retirements were chiefly spent in med- 
itations on the bible; in which also he indulged 
his taste for poetry, as some admirable specimens 
he has left behind him demonstrate. His conversa- 
tion and prayers were particularly spiritual, and 
his people will long retain the savour of the two 
last discourses he preached to them. The first, on 
Christ as an High-Priest " touched with the feel- 
ing of our infirmities," was the result of his medi- 
tations during a sleepless night the preceding 
week; but a night so comfortable as, he confessed^ 
he had never before enjoyed in his life. The per- 
fect knowledge the Lord Jesus had of his wants— 
the tender care he exercises, and the sufferings he 
so freely underwent, were his astonishment. None 
who knew Dr. Stennett ceuld suspect him to he 



1$ MEMOIKS «B THE 

deficient in exalted sentiments of the Redeemer* 
yet all he had before conceived and preached of 
Mm, appeared small to what he then experienced j 
and hence he exhorted his people to a come boldly 
to the throne of grace, that they might obtain mer- 
cy, and find grace to help in time of need/** 
Though illness and approaching death prevented 
lis preaching, it had not lessened his love to his 
flocks. He desired a friend to tell them, " that he 
loved them all in the Lord, and that the truths he 
had preached, were his alone consolation in the 
hour of death." The temper and comfort of his 
mind in his illness, were discovered by several Ut- 
ile incidents which cannot but be pleasing to those 
who had such a value for him. Before he was con- 
fined to his bed, he prayed one evening in his fam- 
ily in a manner which deeply impressed all present, 
^ that God might give an easy passage out of life>;' ? 
and God granted him that which he requested. 
Some vinegar and other ingredients being given 
Mm as a gargle for his throat, he said, with great 
emotion, which shewed his thoughts to be directed 
towards Jesus, " And in his thirst they gave him 
vinegar to drink. O! when I reflect Upon the 
sufferings of Christ, I am ready to say, what have 
I been thinking of all my life ? They are now my 
only support j" and he added, respecting those ten- 
nets that would degrade Christ's person and atone- 
ment, "What should I do now, if I had only such 
opinions to support me ¥*\ — Taking his daughter 

* Hebrews iv. 5, 16. 

f Mentioning Dr. Priestly by name; and I think (says Dr. 
Jenkins,) it argues very highly in favour of the doctrines of our 
Lord's Deity and atonement, and of his free and efficacious grace, 
that Dr. Stennett, a man of strong natural parts, a cool and dis^ 
passionate reasoner, and whom none that knew would charge 
with ignorance or enthusiasm, believed in, and avowed those 
doctrines ia his life, and gave so explicit a testimony to their use- 



REV. DR. SAM¥E£ STEtfNETT. 17 

8y the hand, he said, "Wherefore he is able to save 
them to the uttermost, that come unto God by him. 
—He is able to keep that which I have committed 
unto him against that day. 55 To the kind enquir- 
ies of a friend he answered, « Here I am, cast 
•town but not destroyed ;" And upon another occa- 
sion, repeated a verse of the charming hymn he 
had formerly composed, and which was printed i* 

Father at thy call I come : 
In thy bosom there is room 
For a guilty soul to hide 
Pressed with grief on ev'ry side. 

To his son, who (at that time very ill also) came 
to see him, he said, " My son, God hath done 
great things for us, He is very gracious to us. I 
can leave myself and my family with him." In 
short, every little speech he uttered indicated the 
invariable frame of his mind, that he was happy 
in God, and that the ground of his happiness was 
the love of God in laying down his life for us* 
6i Other foundations," as he expressed it with ener- 
gy,- " can no man lay, than that is laid,, which is 
Jesus Christ. His name is as ointment poured 
forth. O ! he is the chief among ten thousand, and 
altogether lovely." The powers of expression 
were taken from him, a few hours before his de- 
parture; but he went off in a tranquil and easy 
manner. He quietly fell asleep in Jesus, August 
the 24th, 1795, in the 68th year of his age. His 
remains were deposited in his family vault in 
Bunhill-fields, where Mrs. Stennett his beloved 

fulness and importance, when he viewed himself as going to appear 
[ efore God the Judge of all. If Dr Priestly should ever see tfti? 
note, I wish it maybe duly weighed, as he also must die. 

* Hymn eclsx, of Mr. Rippon's Selection, 



18 MEMOIRS OF TUB 

wife had been interred a few months before hitii, 
The pall was supported by the following minis- 
ters : Dr. Kippis and Dr. Itees of the Presbyteri- 
an ; Mr. Brewer and Mr. Towle of the Indepen- 
dent; Mr. Martin and Dr. Jenkins of the Baptist 
persuasion. The last of these gentlemen, who 
was a member of Dr. Stennett's church, and by 
that people sent into the work of the ministry, 
preached his funeral sermon, Sept. 6, 1795, on 
1 John iii. 16. The discourse was immediately 
printed, with Mr. Booth's Address at the grave; 
and the providence was felt, not only by all tho 
Baptist Churches throughout the three kingdoms, 
but by great numbers of the most respectable per- 
sons in the other denominations of Protestant Dis- 
senters, not to mention pious and evangelical min- 
isters and people of the establishment — and John's 
Eulogy concerning one of the best men in apos- 
tolic tiities, was pronounced in every circle of the 
godly, " Demetrius hath good report of all men, 
and of the truth itself; yea, and we also bear re- 
cord, and ye know that our record is true/' 

The Doctor has left behind him two affection- 
ate children, the Rev. Mr. Joseph Stennett, and 
Miss Elizabeth Stennett, in both of whom he had 
f 1 inexpressible satisfaction." 



HEV* DE. SAMUEL STENSTETT. 19 

THE BIRD OF PARADISE,* 
By the late Rex\ Br. Samuel SienneiL 

1. AH me ! Pve lost my liberty j 

And in this cage 

My active mind 
Is close confined : 
Nor can I hope again 
My birth-right to obtain* 
Till this my gilded tenement shall be 

Destroyed by some disaster or by age* 

2. But — How came I here ? 

Who was it that deprived my heav'n born soul. 
Of the freedom she enjoyed, 
In the paradise of God ; 
Where no base passion could my peace controulj 
Or in my breast create a fear ? 
? Twas Satan, aye, 'twas he 
That robb'd me of my liberty : 
His artful snares th 5 insidious fowler laid, 
And to this captive state my innocence betrayed, 

3- Cruel enemy to try, 

When I fear'd no danger nigh, 
Thus to deceive and ruin me, 
With basest arts of treachery ! 
'But boast not, Satan, thou thy point hast gained* 
Heav'n permits it so to be, 
That all the world may one day see 
Justice triumphant over perfidy ; 
For know that Christ the conquest hath obtained., 

* The Rev. Mr. Joseph Stennett, who communicated the Bird 
•f Paradise for the Register, wishes it to be said, that this is the 
f irst correct copy ef it which has been given to the public* 



*0 M£M'OIft$ tfF THjfc 

Yes, and he'll quickly come, 

And publicly pronounce thy doom. 

So shall the horror of this cruel deed, 
By which thy malice had designed, 
To draw down vengeance on mankind, 

With double fury light on thy devoted head, 

4. In the mean while I sit, 
And here in groans, 
And silent moans, 
Lament my 'prison'd state : 
Ah me ! I once was us'd to mount and fly, 
Up thro' the trackless regions of the sky : 
And as I pass'd along, 

In sweetly pleasing strains, 
To trill my warbling song, 
All o'er th' etherial plains. 
But now condemned within this cage to lie,_ 
I droop the wing, 
Refuse to sing, 
And sighing wish to die. 

3. But why despair ? 

Come try thy voice, and stretch thy wing ; 
A bird within a cage may chirp and sing, 
And taste what freedom is e'en while she's here*^ 
Strike up some cheerfuLnotej 
With fond desire 
Peep thro' the wire : 
Thy keeper?!! quickly come and let thee out 

& This, this, is h&ppy news ! 

Now to sing I can't refuse : 

These shall be the notes I chuse : 
u Satan the cruel fowler put me in, 
Ci And fast enclos'd me round with sense and sin ■: 

" But Satan cannot keep me here j 
** For not to him the cage belongs, 



REV. DK. SAMUEL STENXETT. 

*• 'Tis Christ's, and he shall have ray songs, 
" Since he's my kind deliverer." 

7. Thus awhile, 
I will beguile 
The passing hours away : 
Assur'd my master'll not forget 
To make my bed and find me meat, 
So long as 'tis decreed that here I stay. 
Wherefore free from all cares, 
From all dangers and snares, 
While Jesus my Saviour is by ; 
O how happy I dwell, 
Tho' immur'd in a ceil, 
Xot anxious to live, nor yet fearful to die ? 

$• But soon alas! secure of future bliss. 
Senseless I grow, 
And scarcely know 
What real freedom is. 

The little circuit of my cage 
Doth all my thoughts and time engage: 
With heedless feet from perch to perch I hop j 
And passing round, 
Pleas'd with the so • 
Of tinkling bell 
Hung o'er my cell, 
My nobler notes I dron. 

Ah : how deprav'd this wretched heart of mine, 
So soon to lose its taste for joys divine! 

9. Busied thus with motes and straws* 
Idle nonsense, empty joys, 
Without a hope, without a fear 
Of pleasures or of dangers near. 
Asleep I fall : 

Fatal security ! 
But hark ! I hear iny keeper ca 



Sjgl MEMOIRS OF TMB 

Aye, 'tis his voice : now I awake, 
Fancy I feel my prison shake, 

And dire destruction's nigh. 
Affrighted round my cage I cast my eye, 

And fluttering to and fro, 

Not knowing where to go, 
Attempt to make my escape hut cannot fly* 

10. Ah! silly heart, 
(I fetch a sigh, 
And sighing cry,) 

Thus foolishly to part 
With nohle hopes, substantial joys 
For airy phantoms, gilded toys, 
Trifles, the fond pursuit of which unmans my soul ; 
And leaves me to the sport of ev'ry fancied feaiy 
That would my peace controul. 
What miseries befal a heav'n-born mind, 
By being thus within a cage confined ? 

Pity, Saviour, pity me, 

And quickly come and set me free ! 

11. My Saviour hears, and strait replies, 
With soft compassion in his eyes, 

" Thy silent moans, 

46 And piteous groans 
" Have mov'd my heart ; 

"Ere long I'll come, 

"And fetch thee home, [part*** 

*' Where reason and the passions ne'er shall 

f2. *Tis Jesus that speaks! how charming his 
At the sound of his voice, [name ! 

O how I rejoice, 
And kindle all into a flame ! 
I leap and I fly, 
And in ecstasy cry, 
Vaift wtrlcU I but thee adieu.: 



HEY. Dm. SAMtfEL STENNETT. 2^ 

I'll wait not for age, 
To pull down my cage, 
But, fearless of danger, will force my way thro 5 . 

13. Check thy passions, foolish man j 
The longest life is but a span. 

Be contented here to stay, 

Another hour, another day; 

To feel a joy, to hear a pain, 

To do some good, some good t' obtain. 
Think not the moments long, Heav'n hath decreed; 
Impatience cannot lash them into speed. 
With meek submission wait the approaching hour,; 

The wheel of time will quickly whirl about, 
And then thy keeper'U come^ and ope the door, 

Put in his r hand, and gently take thee out 

14. The day arrives. 

Now thro' the wire, 
With strong desire, 
I cast my wishful eyes. 
I see him come : yes, yes, 'tis he! 
Hither he hastes to set me free, 
O the music that I hear, 
Sweetly warbling in my ear ! 
44 Little songster, come away, 
" In this vile cell no longer stay; 
4i But take thy flight to realms above the skies.'- 5 

15. I hear and instantly obey; 

Out of my cage I spring ; 
And as I pass the wicker' d way, 
Thus to myself I sing : 
<c How safe, how easy 'tis to die, 
" With Christ my guardian-angel by I 
4i He's my defence from pain and sin, 
*' From foes without and fears within. 
a death, where is thy sting? O grave, thy vie 

[iory?" 



£4 MEMOIRS, &C< 

16. Now Pm happy, now I'm free : 

My active spirit, heav ? n-born mind, 
Frooi ail the dregs of sense refin'd, 

Feels and enjoys her godlike dignity. 
No more opprcss ? d with the gross atmosphere 

Of error, prejudice and sin, 
Freely I breath' my native air, 

And drink ambrosial fragrance in. 

O who can think, O who can tell, 

The strange sensations now I feci! 

17* Awhile my wings unused to flight, I try, 
And round. and round in sportive bliss I fly: 
Then through the opening skies, 
In rapturous ecstasy I rise, 
Up to the flow'ry flelds of Paradise, 
And as I dart along, 

On full expanded wing, 
Amid th' angelic throng, 
Celestial anthems sing : 
44 Glory to him that left his throne above, 
" And downward bent his way on wings of love; 
< ( That wept, and bled, and died upon the tree, 
*' To conquer death and set the captives free, 5 ' 



ADVERTISEMENT* 



a 



The utility of a compendious view of 
a Parable, in order to a clear understand- 
ing of its general import, and a right im- 
provement of its several parts, must strike 
every thoughtful person. This was the 
Author's reason for prefixing so large a 
table of contents to the following plain 
discourses* The reader will, therefore, 
greatly oblige him by attentively looking 
over the contents, before he peruses the 
sermons. 



mmM^^wm^ 



DISCOURSE I, 

Of Parables in general; and the leading 
ideas of this in particular. 

Matt* xiii. 3. 

And he spake many things unto them in parables? 
saying, Behold a sower went forth to sow. 

PART I. 

OF PARABLES IN GENERAL. 

Occasion of the parable — meaning easy to be un- 
derstood — how this reconcilable with our Lord's 
reason for addressing these people in parables — 
why he so frequently adopted this mode of in- 
struction — rules to assist in interpreting para- 
bles — temperate use of allegory highly proper — 
liow abused by some public speakers — other 
abuses of preaching — causes of these evils — 
common apologies for them futile — pernicious 
tendency of injudicious treatment of allegory — 
as also of mere declamatory preaching— address 
to ministers. 



3& CONTENTS* 

PART II. 
THE LEADING IDEAS OF THE PARABLE* 

$iur Saviour's grand object to draw the characters 
of four kinds of hearers — the inattentive — 

jSNTHUSIASTIC— WORXDLY-MINDED— SINCERE, 

^-the leading ideas to be first of all explained — 
these are the sower — seed — ground — effect 

I. By the sower is meant ministers — their qualifi- 
cations, duty, and various success described. 

II. By the seed is meant the word of the kingdom, 
or gospel- — kingdom to be understood of personal 
religion, christian dispensation, heavenly state; 
the word considered in reference to each of 
these. 

ill. By the ground is meant the soul of man — this, 
like the earth, in a different state now from 
what it was in the beginning — the natural and 
moral powers of the soul weakened and deprav- 
ed — this confirmed by the different account our 
Lord gives of the several kinds of ground in 
which the seed was sown. 

IV. The general jwocess of the business expressed 
or implied in the parable — how religion rises 
into existence and becomes fruitful, through the 
concurrence of a divine influence, with the word 
dispensed by ministers, and the reasonings of 
the mind about it— reflections on the subject 



CONTENTS* ^9 

DISCOURSE II- 

The character of inattentive hearers con? 
sidered. 

Matt. xiii. 4. 

Snd when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way -side, 
and the fowls of the air came and devoured them 
up. 

PART I. 

FIRST, THE INATTENTIVE. 

The figure explained — our Saviour's exposition of 
it — in which the following things observable — 
they hear the word — are only occasional heavers 
of it- — not prepared for hearing it—hear it care- 
lessly — understand it not — or have only a specu- 
lative knowledge of it — it makes no abiding im- 
pression— how the impression effaced, the wick- 
ed one cometh 9 and catcheth away that which was 
sown in their hearts, lest they should believe and 
be saved. Three things to be considered — who 
the wicked one is, and why so called — what 
meant by his catching away the seed, and how 
this done — what the malevolent end proposed. 

I. Who the wicked one is — Satan or the Devil — 
the scripture account of him — from his charac- 
ter and works properly denominated the wicked 

one. 

3# 



. 3Q> CONTENTS* 

II. What meant by his catching away the seed, and 
how this done— he hath access to the mind— this 
proved— but cannot force men to sin against 
their consent — righteous in God to permit him 
to catch away the seed from these hearers — this 
done, 

1. By diverting men's attention from the word.- 

2. By exciting prejudices against it. 

3. By preventing their recollecting it after- 

wards. 

PART II. 

III. What the malevolent end Satan proposes by 
catching away the word— lest they should believe 
and be saved — Here, in order to rouse men's at- 
tention, and to guard them against the artifices 
of Satan, it is necessary to enquire what faith 
is — to describe the salvation promised to them 
who believe — -and to shew the connection between 
the one and the other. 

First, What faith is — the term defined, the 
qualities accompanying it described — the cha- 
racters of the real and nominal believer con* 
tested. 

Second, What the salvation promised to them 
who believe — the most glorious — a deliver- 
ance from moral, natural, penal evil, with 
the enjoyment of the opposite good in its 
highest perfection. 

Third, What the connection between faith and 
salvation — its indispensable necessity arises 



CONTENTS. SI 

—from the divine appointment—and the rea- 
son and nature of the thing. 
Faith comes by hearing — hence the artifices of 
Satan to divert men's attention from the word 
and to prevent its salutary effect upon their 
hearts — the awful consequences of impeni- 
tence and unbelief— reflections on the subject, 

DISCOURSE III. 

The character of enthusiastic hearers, , 
considered, 

Matt. xiii. 5, 6. 
Some fell upon stony places, where they had not 
much earth : and forthwith they sprung up, be- 
cause they had no deepness of^earth. And when 
the sun was up, they were scorched, ar{d because 
ihey had not root, they withered away. 

PART I. 

SECOND, THE ENTHUSIASTIC. 

On these hearers the word, to appearance, hath 
an instantaneous and mighty effect, but they 
reap no real advantage from it— our Lord's ex- 
position of this part of the parable — four things 
here to be considered — the character of these 
hearers previous to their hearing the word— the 
effect it instantly produces on their minds — 
their failure afterwards — the cause of their 
apostacy. 



^ COtfTENTSV 

I. Their character previous to their hearing the 
word — their hearts compared to stony or rocky 
ground, on account of their depravity — their 
passions to the fine mould cast over it, on ac- 
count of their warmth and liveliness — the ill 
effect of an heated imagination, under the con- 
duct of a depraved heart, shewn — the character 
of the enthusiast more particularly described. 

II. The effect the word instantly produces on their 
minds, as described by our Saviour — they receive 
it — receive it immediately — receive it with joy— 
this passion defined — the joy of the enthusiast 
distinguishable from that of the real christian* 

1. By what precedes it, 

2. By what excites it, 

3. By the effects of it. 

Having thus received the word, he with great zeal 
professes it — but after a while apostatizes — ad- 
dress to persons of this character— a caution 
against supposing the passions have little or no 
concern in religion — the real but timorous chris- 
tian encouraged. 

PART II. 

III. The aposiacy of these hearers considered— the 
seed having sprung tip, in a little time withers 
away; so these hearers having endured for 
a while fall away. 

1. The term of their profession short — the 
real christian advances by degrees towards 



CONTENTS. S3 

perfection — these quickly arrive at the ze- 
nith of their glory. 
2. The manner in which their profession is 
renounced — some silently quit it — others 
publicly renounce it. 
IV. The cause of their apostacy. 

1. Something wanted within — the seed had 
no deepness of earth — no root — lacked mois- 
ture — so these professors have no principle 
of religion in their hearts. 

2. A concurrence of circumstances without un- 
favourable to their profession — the scorch- 
ing sun burns up the grass — so persecution 
&r tribulation arising because of the wordy 
they are offended — the state of religion, as 
to external things, in early and present 
times — various occasions of offence. 

Examples of such apostates — the five thousand 
our Saviour fed with loaves and fishes — the men 
of Nazareth ; the Jews who led him triumph- 
antly into Jerusalem, and a day or two after 
crucified him$ the Laodiceans — digression on 
enthusiasm — not the offspring of religion, but 
of a particular cast of mind or temperature of 
animal spirits — common to men of all profes- 
sions — reflections on the subiect. 



34» €OIS T TENTS*- 

DISCOURSE IV. 

The character of worldly-minded hearers 
considered. 

Matt. xiii. 7. 

Jind some fell among thorns : and the thorns sprung 

up and choked: them. 

PART 1. 

THIRD, THE WORIDLY-MIXDEIK 

The figure explained— our Lord's exposition of it, 
'in which are" observable, 1. The treatment the 
word meets with— they hear it, receive it, but 
hring no fruit to perfection. Q. How its salutary 
operation is obstructed— they go forth~*the 
cares of the world, the deceitfulness of riches, and 
the hist of other things, enter in— they become un- 
fruitful. 3. The event— the thorns choke both 
the word and them*. 
I. The obstructions themselves considered — cares, 
riches, pleasures. 
First, Cares of the world— how far sinful or 
otherwise— this shewn by considering men's 
temporal interests in reference to— subsist- 
ence, competence, affluence. 
Second, Riches— their deceitfulness— men rea- 
son mistakenly about — wealth itself— mode 
of acquiring it — term of enjoying it 



CONTENTS. 35 

Third, Pleasures— pleasure abstractedly consi- 
dered a real good—when criminal— worldly 
pleasures various and fascinating. 
Address to the careful— covetous— voluptuous. 

PART IL 

II. How cares, riches and pleasures operate to 
prevent the salutary effect of God's word...no 
profiting by the word without considering it... 
three things necessary to consideration.. .leisure 
eomposure...inclination. 

First, Leisure...groxm& choked with thorns af- 
fords not room for the seed to expand and 
grow... so secular affairs deprive men of time 
for religious meditation...time an inestimable 
gift...a proper portion of it ought to be em- 
ployed about religion* 

Second, Composure...the necessity of this to con- 
sideration...how an undue attention to worldly 
things unfits the mind for the practice of this 
duty...this shewn in regard of anxious cares... 
eager desire of riches...vehement thirst after 
pleasures. 

Third, Inclination.. .total aversion to religious 
consideration in bad men...too often a back- 
wardness to it in good men.. .the former con- 
firmed, and the latter promoted, by an undue 
attachment to the world. 

III. The sad event of such criminal commerce 
with the world.. .these hearers understand not the 



56 CONTENTS, 

word...do not believe it...are not obedient to it..* 
and so, like the seed choked by thorns, are in the 
end lost...exhortations to professors of religion. 

DISCOURSE V s 

The character of sincere hearers con- 
sidered* 

Matt* xiii. '8. 
But other seeds fell irrfo good ground, and brought 
forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixty fold, 
some thirty fold. 

PART L 

EOURTH, THE SINCEHE. 

The figure explained. ..our Saviour's exposition of 
it.. .these hearers have honest and good hearts*.* 
hear the word after a different manner from the 
Qthev$...undersiand it...keep it...bring forth fruit..* 
with patience...hut in different degrees...ho:ve pro- 
posed, to shew the necessity of the heart's being 
made honest and good, in order to profiting.., 
describe the fruit which such bear.. .consider the 
variety in regard of degree and reasons of it.., 
represent the blessedness of such persons. 

I. The necessity of the heart 3 s being made honest 
and goodwill and affections have a considera- 
ble influence on the understanding and judgment 
...gospel humiliating to pride and disgusting to 



CONTENTS. 37 

passion for worldly pleasure — hence opposition 
to it — a new turn being given to the mind, it 
will be received in the love of it — the import- 
ance of regeneration. 
II. The kind of fruit such bring forth described- 
fruit the ground bears of the same nature with 
the seed and the soil — nature and tendency of 
the gospel considered — what kind of man the 
christian is, in regard of — piety — social — per- 
sonal duties — no absolute perfection — y^t a real 
difference between a good man and a man of the 
world — Reflections. 

PART II. 

III. The variety there is among christians in re- 
gard of degrees of fruilfiUtiess and the reasons 
of it. 

First, The fact stated*— fnutfiilness considered 
in regard of inward affections and external 
actions — various characters among good men 
described — various appearances of religion at 
different periods of life—scripture characters 
compared. 
Second, The reasons of this disparity in respect 
of the fruits of holiness — worldly circumstan- 
ces—opportunity— -mental abilities— different 
means of religion — comparative different 
state of it in one christian and another— 
greater or less effusion of divine influences, 
4 



■*S8 ©ORIENTS* 

IV. Blessedness of the fruitful christian— the plea- 
sure that accompanies ingenuous obedience— « 
fruitful ness affords -a noble proof of uprightness 
— such held in great esteem by the wise and 
good — glorious will be their reward in another 
worlth 



DISCOURSE VI. 

The duty of consideration explained and 
enforced. 

Matt, xiih 9. 

Who hath ears to hear 9 let him hear. 

PART I. 

THE DUTY EXPXAINEB. 

By this mode of expression our Lord meant to 
convey the following ideas — that the discourse 
he had been delivering was parabolical — that 
the truth veiled under the parable was most 
important— -that their considering it was neces- 
sary to their profiting by it — and that if they 
were not benefitted, the fault would be ia their 
will, not their understandings — consider the du- 
ty men owe to the word — enforce it. 

I. Consider the duty our Lord inculcates — to give 
energy to what they say, ministers should re- 
mind themselves of their duty — if they would be 



CONTEXTS. S9 

heard, they should well understand their subject 
— be careful about their manner — look well to 
their aims and views — and depend upon the 
Holy Spirit for success. What the duty of the 
people : 

First, Some kind of preparation previous te 
hearing the word — especially on the day de- 
voted to public worship — composure — solilo- 
quy — grayer. 
Second, How to behave in the house of God — 
early attendance — decency — attention to the 
preacher — guard against prejudice. 
Third, Duty afterwards — recollection — to assist 
herein three expedients recommended. 

1. Avoid as much as possible what may tend 
to dissipate the mind, and render it incapa- 
ble of recollection. 

2. Be not fond of hearing more than you can 
retain and digest. 

3. Make a point of retiring for the purpose of 
recollection and prayer. 

PART IX. 

THE DUTY ENFORCED. 

II. Enforce the duty with suitable motives. 

First, Decency — good manners require our paying 
attention to those who speak to us — especially 
in a set discourse — it is an affront therefore to 
good sense and decorum not to listen to those on 
whose instruction we profess to attend; 



40 CONTENTS. 

Second, Personal obligation — the anxiety of a -friend 
for our good a strong reason why we should re- 
gard him — ministers our friends — neither credit- 
lous nor self-interested men — their anxieties 
and labours an argument to engage attention. 

Third, Preaching a divine institution — artful men 
have taken advantage of this idea to impose 
upon mankind — preaching proved to be of di- 
vine appointment — how we may know who are 
called to preach — argument thence to persuade 
to consideration. 

Fourth, Subject most worthy of attention — Truth 
and importance always give energy to a dis- 
course—religion shewn to be most important — 
and true — the admitting the possibility of these 
two positions a reason for consideration — -the 
apostles* reasoning on this matter. 

Fifth, JVb profiting without considering — a dis- 
course not understood, believed, or felt, can do 
us no good — -it must be heard and considered to 
these ends- — doctrine of divine influence an in« 
citement to consideration. 

Sixth, Many obstructions in the way of considera- 
tion — this our Lord shews in the parable — satan 
. — a depraved heart — the world-— this formida- 
ble confederacy an argument to excite diligence 
on our part. 
Seventh, Command of God— so great a Being- 
ought to be obeyed — the voice of reason, scrip- 
lure and ministers, all uniting to persuade us 



CONTENTS* 41 

to consideration, the voice of God — wilful op* 
position to him the greatest sin and deserving 
of greatest punishment. 
Eighth, Benefits resulting from consideration — oh* 
jections answered — " Consideration, if not im- 
practicable, yet painful, laborious business"— 
" I may be convinced of what I don't care to 
believe" — " if converted must give up many en- 
joyments" — advantages attending religion — in 
this life — the future — sum of the arguments 
address to hearers* 



4* 



DISCOURSE L. 

Of Parables in general; and the leading 
ideas of this in particular, 



PART L 

Matt. xiii. 3 — 9. 

And he spake many things unto them in parables*. 
saying, Behold a sower 'went forth to sow* And 
when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way-side, 
and the fowls came and devoured them up. Some 
fell upon stony places, where they had not much 
earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because 
they had no deepness of earth. And when the sun 
was up, they were scorched, and because they 
had not root, they withered away. And some 
fell among thorns : and the thorns sprung up and 
choked them. But other fell into good ground, 
and brought forth fruit, some an hundred fold, 
some sixty fold, some thirty fold. Who hath earn 
to hear, let him hear. 

VrUR divine Master, the Lord Jesus Christ, 
possessed the qualifications of a prophet in their 
highest perfection. No one ever taught like him : 
be spake with authority, not as the scribes. Sen- 



44 THE VSE AND ABUSE 

sible, however, that his instructions could have ri<r 
salutary effect unless duly received, he earnestly 
exhorted the multitude who attended his ministry 
to. take heed how they heard. And to assist them 
in this great duty, he lays open, in the parable be- 
fore us, the principles, motives and conduct of the 
various sorts of persons who hear the gospel. 

Our Saviour was constant and unwearied in the 
discharge of the duties of his prophetic character; 
On the morning of the day this parable was de- 
livered, he had reproved the scribes and pharisees 
for their hypocrisy, warning them of the tremen- 
dous consequences it would draw after it. And 
having retired for a while to a house for some re* 
fresh men t> he went down to the sea of Galilee; 
and there entering into a ship sat on the side of it r 
and from thence discoursed to a great multitude 
gathered together on the shore to hear him. They 
were plain country-people, and so it is probable 
well acquainted with husbandry. He therefore 
talks to them in their own language, presenting 
them with divine truth in a form easy to be un- 
derstood, and adapted to please. 

But here a difficulty occurs which will require 
a little consideration. The disciples, when our 
Lord had finished his discourse, ask him why he 
spake to the people in parables. He replies*, 
quoting a passage from Isaiahf, Because seeing, 
they see not ; and hearing, they hear not, neither da 

* Verse 13. f Chapter vh 9, 



OE ALLEGORICAL INSTRUCTION. 43 

they understand. From whence it should seem, 
that our Lord himself considered the form of 
speech he had used as obscure, and that he adopt- 
ed it in displeasure at their unreasonable stupidity 
and unbelief. And how is this to be reconciled 
with our idea of the parable, as easy to be under- 
stood and adapted to please? I answer. This 
mode of instruction is certainly natural and pro^ 
per. We often introduce similies into our dis- 
course, to explain and illustrate what could not 
otherwise be so clearly comprehended. But then 
if a parabolical relation be given, without any in- 
timation of the matter to which it is to be applied, 
it must be uninteresting, and the intention of the 
speaker remain obscure. Now it is admitted, our 
Lord did not in so many words declare what was 
the point he had in view. Yet, had his hearers 
been attentive and made a proper use of their rea- 
son, they could not have been at a loss to appre- 
hend in. general his meaning. It was not proba- 
ble that one who claimed the character of a pro- 
phet, and had wrought so many miracles before 
their eyes, should have nothing further in view 
than to amuse them with a tale of what often hap- 
pens to husbandmen in sowing their ground. On 
the contrary, it was reasonable for them to con- 
clude from his discourse previous to this, from the 
woes he had denounced upon their leaders for their 
inattention and unbelief, and from what he added 
at the close of the parable, Who hath ears to hear, 
let him hear; I say it was most reasonable for them; 



4$ THE USE AtfD ABUSE 

to conclude from hence, that he meant to hold up 
to their view moral and divine truth. Which be- 
ing the case, how natural for them to suppose, that 
fey the sowers sowing seed was meant our Sa- 
viour's instructing men in the great concerns of 
religion,, and by the effect of the seeds being sown 
the various influence of his instructions upon their 
minds! It is also further to be observed, that our 
Lord's putting the question to his disciples, Know 
ye not this parable? plainly intimates that what- 
ever obscurity there was in the parable, it was 
possible for them to understand the general mean- 
ing of it : and therefore, if it had not been for the 
depravity of these people's hearts, it would have 
been possible for them also to understand it. But 
although a further explanation of it was necessa- 
ry, his forbearing to give it was but a just expres- 
sion of his displeasure at their treatment of the 
plain truths, he had delivered to them on the 
morning of that day : and so they were naturally 
led to read their crime in their punishment. Upon 
the whole, therefore, it must be acknowledged, the 
general intent of the parable being apprehended, 
that the method our Saviour took to lay open the 
characters of his hearers was most lit, natural, and 
easy. 

Here it will be proper to enquire more particu- 
larly into the grounds and reasons of this mode of 
instruction, that we may be enabled to account for 
our Saviour's frequent use of parables, that we 
may be assisted in the interpreting them- and that 



*GT AI&EGORICAI. INSTRUCTION 47 

we may be guarded against the wanton abuse of 
allegory, too common among some people in dis- 
courses on religious subjects. 

The word Parable, as appears from its deriva- 
tion, signifies a similitude or comparison. It is 
sometimes applied to an apologue or table, that is, 
a story contrived to teach some moral truth : and 
sometimes it is put for a proverb, which is a para- 
bolical representation comprized in a short sen- 
tence. This mode of instruction is familiar and 
pleasant. Sensible objects may very properly be 
considered as images of spiritual and invisible 
things ; and by this use of them we are assisted in 
our conceptions and reasonings about matters, of 
which we should otherwise have scarce any idea at 
all. By substituting one person in the room of 
another, or by relating a story apposite to our 
purpose, we are enabled to place certain charac- 
ters and actions in a striking point of light, and t© 
treat them with a freedom which in a plain direct 
address would scarcely be reconcilable with pru- 
dence and delicacy. The advantages accruing 
from this mode of instruction, wisely managed, are 
so considerable that it has obtained by universal 
consent in all ages. It was used by the ancient 
prophets, the eastern sages, and the Jewish doctors. 
And it is obvious that our Saviour had various in- 
ducements to this practice. Beside the considera- 
tion that it added beauty and vigour to his dis- 
courses, and rendered them more agreeable to a 
people accustomed to this manner of speaking, i% 



THE USE AND ABUSE 

enabled him to throw a veil over some things which 
it was not fit to declare in express terms. Many 
events were to take place which, in the ordinary 
course of things, would have been obstructed had 
our Lord openly and plainly foretold them : such 
as his being put to death by the Jews,, the destruc- 
tion of their polity and worship, -read of 
the gospel among the I s. And then as to 
the r doctrines of G the full ex- 
planation of them par- 
poses to the preaching of the a arah 
botical mode of in:: to con- 
vey that degree of ligfa ich 
was judged most prop m of our 
hour's own personal ministry. Hence he tells 
his is last sufierings*- 
I ht$i :...-■ ov 
parables': the i\:::? comeih 

Ifou 
zr* m From what has heen said 
then we clearly see why our Saviour so generally 
!e in parables. 

JJo ;!es were intended for our in- 

struction, as well as theirs, to v. horn they v 
first delivered, it is of imp* that we as well 

as they rightly understand them. To tl give 

me leave to lay dc >r three rules to afe 

us in the interpretation of them. 

1. The first and principal one I shall me 
the carefully attending to the oc En* 

* J;-.-- 



OF ALLEGORICAL INSTRUCTION $$ 

No one, for instance, can be at a loss to explain 
the parable of the prodigal son, who considers that 
our Lord had been discoursing with publicans and 
sinners, and that the proud and self-righteous pha- 
risees had taken offence at his conduct. With this 
key we are let into the true secret of this beautiful 
parable, and cannot mistake in our comment upon 
it. With inimitable softness and compassion our 
Saviour encourages the hopes of the penitent sin- 
ner, by describing the tender pity of a venerable 
parent towards an imdutiful child. And with ad- 
mirable address he reproves the invidious temper 
of pharisaical professors, by representing the jeal- 
ousy and disgust of the elder brother at the kind 
reception the younger met with. — Understanding 
thus from the occasion of the parable what is the 
grand truth or duty meant to be inculcated, 

2. Our attention should be steadily fixed to that 
object. 

If we suffer ourselves to be diverted from it by 
dwelling too minutely upon the circumstances of 
the parable, the end proposed by him who spake it 
will be defeated, and the whole involved in obscu- 
rity. For it is much the same here as in consi- 
dering a fine painting : a comprehensive view of 
the whole will have a happy and striking effect, 
but that effect will not be felt, if the eye is held to 
detached parts of the picture without regarding 
the relation they bear to the rest. Were a mail 
to spend a whole hour on the circumstances of the 
ring and robe in the parable just referred to, or on 



50 THE TJSE AND AB¥SE 

-the two mites in that of the good Samaritan, it is 
highly prohable both he and his hearers, by the 
iime they got to the close of the discourse, would 
lose all idea of our Saviour's more immediate intent 
in both those instructive parables. And it should 
i>e further observed, that the dwelling thus tedi- 
ously upon the mere circumstances of a- parable, 
sometimes proves a temptation to obtrude on the 
hearer such fanciful interpretations of them, as 
liave no warrant for them either in reason or scrip- 
ture. Which leads me to add, 

3. That great caution should be observed in oui* 
reasoning from the parables to the peculiar doc- 
trines of Christianity. 

The principle or leading idea of a parable is, I 
admit, a sufficient ground on which to establish a 
doctrine : but this is not always the case with a 
detached part of it. In discourses of this nature 
circumstances must be introduced to make up the 
story, and to give consistency and harmony to it : 
but there is no reason in supposing that a myste- 
ry is couched under each of these circumstances. 
The parable of Dives and Lazarus clearly proves, 
in my opinion, the existence of a separate state, 
since if this be not admitted I am at a loss how to 
give a consistent meaning to it, and under the ne- 
cessity of supposing that our Lord countenanced a 
popular notion which had no foundation in truth. 
But, on the contrary, were I upon the mere cir- 
cumstance of Dives's expressing a concern that his 
brethren came not into that place of torment, to 



OF ALLEGORICAL- INSTRUCTION. 51 

establish such a position as this, that there is be- 
nevolence among damned spirits, I should reason 
very improperly. I mean not however by this to 
say, that no attention is to be paid to what may be 
called the tints or colouring of a parable. Lights 
and shades have their effect and our Lord might 
intend by relating little incidents, yea even by the 
very turn of an expression, to convey some useful 
lesson to the mind. But then, as we should be on 
our guard that w<3 are not diverted from the grand 
object by these matters, so we should take heed 
how we raise upon them a superstructure which 
they are not able to support. Such imprudent 
treatment of the parables by inconsiderate people 
has contributed not a little to scepticism, and cre- 
ated doubts in some minds, whether doctrines thus 
unskilfully defended have any other foundation 
than in mere imagination. 

And now from what has been said we see, in 
general, the importance of carefully guarding 
against an intemperate use of figure and allegory, 
in discourses on moral and religious subjects. But 
this is a matter that requires a little further con- 
sideration. 

We have already admitted that a figurative 
mode of speech is allowable, and sometimes abso- 
lutely necessary. Our ideas most of them origi- 
nate from sensation. By comparing the various 
orders of material beings with one another we 
come to understand their distinguishing proper- 
ties: and by comparing the objects of faith with 



52 THE USE AlNB ABUSE 

those of sense, if the analogy is properly observed} 
we are assisted in our reasoning about them. And 
every one is sensible how much a discourse is em- 
bellished and enlivened by figurative language. 
"We mean not therefore to condemn the use of me- 
taphors and similitudes, but only to correct the 
abuse of them. And what occasion there is for 
an attempt of this kind none can be ignorant, who 
consider the manner in which public preaching is 
conducted in many popular assemblies. 

It is lamentable to think what multitudes of 
weak people are imposed upon in this way. Their 
imagination is amused, and their passions excited r 
at the expense of their understanding and judg- 
ment, which are miserably trilled with, and too 
often grossly perverted. Figures we shall hear 
applied to what they bear no resemblance to, or at 
most but a very obscure and imperfect one. Me- 
taphors of the lowest kind, if not indecent, we 
shall hear poured out in great abundance 3 a whole 
discourse filled with them, and sometimes a favor- 
ite one twisted and turned to any or every pur- 
pose without sense or reason. The doctrine of 
types shall be treated with the greatest freedom, 
as if no bounds were to be affixed to a wild ima- 
gination, and the preacher were at liberty to im- 
pose his own conceits on all the circumstances of 
the Jewish ritual. That shall fe%ade a type 
which is none, and where there is one it shall be 
stretched beyond its true meaning. The very out- 
lines of a shadow shall become the foundation of 



Cffe ALLEGORICAL IffSTfiUCTIOK'. 53 

some important doctrine. Scripture histories shall 
be converted into allegories, the common actions 
and intercourses of the patriarchs and others as- 
sume the air of mystery, and even the geography 
of the old testament have a spiritual meaning 
given it. And thus the bible shall be made to say, 
in an infinite variety of forms, what no man of 
common sense can believe it ever meant to say. 

And now we are upon the subject of public 
preaching, it may not be amiss to add, that this 
mystical treatment of scripture is not the only evil 
we have to complain of. The pulpit is too often 
disgraced with a kind of language, action, and man- 
ner of address, better suited to the familiarity of the 
market or fire side, yea in some instances to the 
drollery of the stage, than the gravity of a christian 
assembly. Sermons shall become vehicles not only 
of trifling puerilities, quaint conceits, and phantas- 
tic allusions, but of idle stories some true and soma 
false. At every step the preacher advances you 
shall have some image held up to view, taken from 
common life, dressed in an antic form, and adapted 
as it should seem rather to disturb than to excite 
devotion. Or if this be not his aim, but on the con- 
trary his object is to make some truth or duty fa- 
miliar to his hearers, yet the means defeat the 
end : for the substance is lost amidst the people's 
attention to the shadow, and so much time is taken 
up about the images of things that little is left 
to investigate the real nature of the things them- 
selves. 



54 THE USE AND ABUSE 

Now one cannot help wondering what should in- 
duce men who have any pretensions to sense or seri- 
ousness to adopt a mode of preaching so trifling, in- 
decent, and pernicious. Charity forbids our suppos- 
ing that they mean to burlesque religion ; if how- 
ever they did, they could not take more effectual 
measures to that end. But we wilt rather impute 
the evil to less offensive causes, such as indolence, 
a fondness for popularity, or a wild conceit that 
by these means they shall be likely to allure peo- 
ple to the consideration of divine things. 

That this is an easy mode of preaching and re- 
quires no great labour or ingenuity, is not to be 
doubted. A man of a slender capacity, w ith a little 
natural elocution and a good deal of courage, may 
easily enough descant for a while upon this or that 
trite metaphor, making its several qualities stand 
for something he has no clear idea of, and knowis 
not how to express in plain language ; especially if 
lie has the talent of digressing when occasion re- 
quires, and of mingling with his discourse a varie- 
ty of tales some ludicrous and others serious. And 
thus possessed of the art of preaching, pray why 
should he throw away his time in laborious re- 
searches into nature, the word of God, and his own 
heart? Why should he spend his days and nights 
in close thought, diligent reading, severe inquiry, 
and a constant succession of painful exertions? 
Truly if this mode of preaching were agreeable 
either to common sense or scripture, he would be 
justified in forbearing such labour. But as this is 



OF ALLEGORICAL INSTRUCTION. 55 

|iot the case, it would surely be more for his own 
and the people's advantage, if he were less solicit- 
ous about his ease, and applied himself with great- 
er anxiety to his duty. It is the plain language of 
the bible, Give attendance to reading, to exhortation, 
to doctrine.* Study to shew thyself approved unto 
God, a workman that needeth not to he ashamed, 
rightly dividing the word of trutluf Labour to get 
at the grounds and reasons of things j to explore 
their nature, uses, and effects ; to state clearly the 
difference between good and evil j and thus to lead 
men step by step to the knowledge of God, Christ, 
themselves, their interest, duty, and final state. 

But it will be said, "An allegorical declama- 
tory kind of preaching is most pleasing to the 
common people : and what harm is there in a 
man's wishing to be popular V 9 It is indeed to be 
feared too many hearers are more pleased with 
sounds than sense, with the shadow than the sub- 
stance, the false glare of a bold image than the 
striking energy of truth. They are more disposed 
to take things for granted, on the bold assertion of 
the preacher, than to enquire into the grounds 
upon which they stand. They feel no weariness 
in hearing a loose unconnected unmeaning ha- 
rangue, but their spirits are quickly jaded by an 
attention to close reasoning. In short, so their 
fancy is pleased and their passions moved, they 
cstre not what becomes of their understanding and 

* 1 Tim. iv. 13, f 2 Tini. ft 15, 



56 THE USE AND ABUSE 

judgment. This, I say, is the character of too 
many hearers. But must we accommodate our- 
selves to such a depraved taste, in order to draw 
the multitude after us ? Is this manly ? Is this 
honest? Is this treating either them or ourselves 
as we ought ? Should we not rather take pains 
to correct their taste, and to convince them that 
religion is not a matter of amusement, but of the 
most serious consideration ? 

But you will say, " We mean to do them good, 
and what some consider as mere arts of persua- 
sion, may yet, if well timed, have a good effect. 
The taking men in their own way, adopting their 
familiar language, surprising them now and then 
with a bold figure, a sudden turn of thought, a 
sally of .wit, a pleasant tale, or a group of fright- 
ful images j. all this may succeed and catch their 
attention, excite their passions, and so gain their 
good will."' True, they may. But having got 
your point, what good have you done them? If 
the business is to stop here, no time being left for 
the sober discussion of some important truth, and 
a serious address to the conscience, Iiow T is the 
great end of preaching answered ? Your audience 
is neither wiser nor better. And the great mis- 
chief is, too many mistake the pleasurable or pain- 
ful feelings, which are the mere mechanical effect 
of your thus practising on their ears and their 
imagination, for religious impressions. They have 
been amused and delighted, or surprised and set a 
wondering, and so instantly conclude they are 



QP AiLEGORICAL INSTRUCTION. 5J- 

Converted. I am not objecting against an easy 
pleasant delivery, occasional sallies of imagina- 
tion, or a temperate use of metaphors ; nor am I 
pleading for a dull, scholastic, systemical treat- 
ment of divine truth. But the former extreme is, 
I think, far more dangerous than the latter, as we 
shall presently shew. 

" Well but," say you, "Is not an allegorical 
mode of preaching scriptural? Did not the pro-^ 
phets, and our Lord Jesus Christ himself, deal 
much in parables?" True, they did. Nor are we 
forbid the use of similitudes : they are on many 
occasions highly proper and useful. And if you 
manage them to advantage and in the manner the 
inspired writers did, you. will find this mode of 
preaching to be of all others the most difficult. A 
sensible, judicious, profitable treatment of a para- 
ble or figure will cost you a great deal of previous 
thought and study. Nor do I know a better ex- 
pedient to deter a wild allegorist from the extra- 
vagance we have been exclaiming against, than to 
oblige him to spend a few hours in adjusting, if he 
can, all the circumstances of a parable so as that 
it shall agree with itself, and carry clear convic- 
tion on the minds of plain hearers. The parables 
which occur in sacred writ, and particularly those 
of our Saviour, are most clear, beautiful, and stri- 
king. Their excellence lies in the happy union 
you here see between wisdom and simplicity- 
Preach after this manner, and all wise and good 
men wiU wish you God-speed. But I should here 



58 THE TJSii AND ABUSE 

again remind you of what was observed ' i the be- 
ginning of this discourse, that our Lord had 
particular reasons for speaking so frequently in 
parables* and that after his ascension, when the 
reil was taken off the peculiar doctrines of Chris- 
tianity, another mode of instruction too|c place* 
The apostles, wherever they came, held up the 
truth in its most plain and simple form, repre- 
sented things as they were, entering into their na- 
ture, qualities, connexions, and evidence, with no 
other assistaiuftHfronMigure and allegory than was 
absolutely necessary. If this fact were duly weigh- 
ed, I think it would check the luxuriance of some 
good men's imagination in this way, and bring 
them back to the standard of preaching in the new 
testament. 

With respect to those other liberties in preach- 
ing we have complained of, you will be apt to say, 
" Bid not the prophets cry aloud and not spare, and 
lift up their voice like a trumpet?* Did they not 
smite with their hands and stamp with their feet ?f 
and use many gestures and words adapted to ex- 
press the violent emotion of their own minds, and 
to excite similar feelings in their hearers ? Did 
not our Saviour in the last and great day of the 
feast stand and cry ?\ and was there not a remark- 
able vehemence in the apostle Paul's manner of 
preaching?" All this is true. But it does by no 
means warrant what is indecent and unnatural, or 

* Isaiah lviii. 1, \ Ezekiel vi. 11, f John vii« 37. 



4>F ALXEGOMCAX INSTRUCTION. 59 

"indeed the expressing any earnestness at all when 
nothing worth hearing is spoken. But admitting 
that there was something allegorical in the tone, 
gesture, and actions of the ancient prophets, as 
well as in their discourses themselves, and which 
might he justified by the peculiarity of the occa- 
sion and the extraordinary impulse they were un- 
der, it does not follow that their manner is to be 
imitated by us. And I am sure that there is not a 
single instance to be produced, from the new testa- 
ment, of any thing like those extravagancies we 
protest against. Our Lord stood and cried. If any 
man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. There 
was nothing in his language and manner but was 
natural, and well agreed with the importance of 
his subject. And he was so far from being loud 
and vociferous that it was prophecied of him, He 
shall not strive, nor cry, neither shall any man 
hear his voice in the streets.* And as to the apos- 
tle Paul, let his history be soberly read, and you 
will be convinced that his zeal, which was very 
warm, never got the better of his reason, so as to 
transport him into any of those gross indecen- 
cies we complain of. 

And now there remains only one thing more to 
be noticed, which we hear sometimes urged by 
weak people as an excuse for the indiscreet liber- 
ties we wish to correct ; and that is, that " this 
eccentric mode of preaching has been owned for 

* Matt. xii. 19. compared with Isaiah xlii. 2, 



60 ^TKE FSB AND ABFB^ 

the awakening and converting sinners." But be- 
fore this argument can have any force the fact 
itself should be fully established. Many have 
■been supposed to be converted, whose after con- 
duct has furnished sad proof to the contrary. 
Convictions have been mistaken for conversion, 
and a fit of warm enthusiastic zeal, attended with 
a temporary external reformation, has been deem- 
ed sufficient evidence of a renovation of heart* 
And thus a supposed fact, or what is rather wish- 
ed than proved to be a fact, is instantly considered 
as an incontestible proof of the divine approbation 
of such preaching. But even admitting the fact, 
the inference by no means follows, Very unwor- 
thy characters have been instruments of great 
good, and the unjustifiable extravagancies of weak 
and inconsiderate men have been overruled by 
divine Providence, in some instances, to very sal- 
utary purposes. There were those in the apostle's 
time who preached the gospel of strife and enVy, 
and to add affliction to his bonds. And so disin- 
terested was that great and good man that he tells 
us, he nevertheless rejoiced and would rejoice: 
thereby clearly intimating, that bad as these men's 
motives were, and improper as their manner might 
be of preaching the, gospel, good might yet arise 
out of it. But surely the apostle did not mean to 
commend either their principles or mode of pro- 
needing.* The truth is, having made up our mind 

* Philip, i. 15—18. 



©F ALLEGORICAL IffSTRUCTieX. ©X 

upon the question what is right, or in. other words 
what is agreeable to sound sense and the word of 
God, it is our duty with all decency and steadi- 
ness to oppose the contrary, be the possible conse- 
quences thereof what they may* It is not the 
saying that foolish and extravagant preaching has 
been the occasion of real good to this or that man, 
that will justify such preaching. A few possible 
instances of this sort may indeed console our minds 
under the evil we are lamenting, but they will not 
if we are wise and good men reconcile us to it. 

Having thus seen how it is men fall into this 
very improper and unnatural mode of discoursing 
^f the great things of God, it is time to proceed to 
the main business, which is to point out the perni- 
cious tendency of it. Here let me first speak of 
allegorical, and then'of declamatory preaching. 

As to the former, permit me again to observe 
that I do not mean to lay figures, comparisons, and 
similitudes under an interdict : fhej have their use 
if managed with discretion and moderation. But 
a failure here is an occasion of many great evils.— 
An intemperate use of figures tends to sensualize 
the mind and deprave the taste — the misapplica- 
tion of them gives a false idea of the objects they 
are meant to represent—and the reasoning injudi- 
ciously from them begets a kind .of faith that is 
precarious and ineffectual. 

1. An intemperate use of figures tends to sensir 
alize the mind and deprave the taste. 

6 



6& THE USE AND ABUSE 

We complain and very justly that sensible ob- 
jects engross the attention of mankind, and have 
an undue influence on their appetites and passions. 
They walk by sight and not by faith. They look 
to the 'things which are seen and are temporal, and 
not to those which are unseen and eternal. To the 
latter therefore we wish to direct their attention. 
And how is that to be done ? Why not, according 
to these preachers, by laying open their true na- 
ture, and representing them in plain language as 
they really are ; but by arraying them in the phan- 
tastic dress, and borrowed colouring, of those 
Tery objects with which we complain men are too 
conversant. Instead of developing mysteries, we 
multiply them. Instead of commending ourselves 
to every man's conscience by manifestation of the 
truth, we cast a tawdry veil over it. And instead 
of turning their eyes away from vanity we direct 
them to it. A whole sermon, for example, shall 
he taken up in describing a palace, a garden, or a 
city, with an intimation now and then that heaven 
is more beautiful and glorious than either of them. 
Or the whole time shall be employed in relating 
the incidents of a journey, or a voyage, with a hint 
here and there that the character and condition of 
the Christian in his way to heaven are shadowed 
forth by these emblems. And thus the attention 
of the people being held, the greater part of the 
discourse, to objects of sense, they are more amus- 
ed than instructed, and diverted than improved. 
Surely then the dealing thus largely in metaphors 



OF AXXEGORICAL INSTRWGTIOX. fca 

tends rather to impoverish than enrich the mind, 
to sensualize the heart rather than elevate it to 
heaven. And I ask, Is not this a great evil ?-— 
The next evil we mentioned is, 

2. The misapplication of figures, whereby false 
ideas are given the hearer of the things they are 
made to stand for. 

It is easy to conceive how men's notions of the 
other world, invisible spirits, ami the blessed God 
himself, may in this way be perverted. A licen- 
tious imagination has given rise to tenets the most 
absurd and impious. To this the idolatry of the 
pagan world may be traced up as its proper source. 
"Not knowing God and glorifying him as God, 
but becoming vain in their imaginations, they chang- 
ed the glory of the incorruptible God into an im- 
age made like to corruptible man, and so were 
given up to vile affections and a reprobate mind."# 
And if men will take unwarrantable liberties ia 
discoursing of the nature and essence of God, if 
they w T ill call in metaphors to their aid in order to 
explain the manner of the divine subsistence, and 
will talk of that great Being with the same fami- 
liarity they do of their fellow-creatures ; are they 
not chargeable with growing vain in their imagi- 
nations, and taking us a step back again towards 
the absurd notions and idolatrous practices of the 
pagans? Though they may not violate the se- 
cond commandment, in the grossest sense, by mak- 
ing graven images of the Deity, they are yet guilty 
*Rom.i. 21,23, 26, 28, 



o4 TOIE USE AND ABXJS& 

of a degree of impiety and profaneness. To the 
same source, I mean that of a luxuriant fancy, 
may be referred the gross notions of Mahometans 
respecting a future state. Their prophet, by the 
aid of a bold eastern imagination, .has accommo- 
dated his doctrine to the sensual taste of his vota- 
ries, and so done infinite mischef in the world. And 
do not they act as if they meant to convert men to 
the rcjigion of the false prophet, who can discourse 
of nothing in the christian scheme but under the 
veil of mystery, though the gospel has taken away 
that veil, and taught us with open face to behold 
as in a glass the glory of the Lord. Nor is it to 
be wondered at that men conceive erroneously of 
the operations of the Spirit, communion with God, 

the temptations of sata^ +l>o ; ^ rri ~ p * , 
7 „„ v jvfja m neaven, ana 

the pains of hell; if these things are never dis- 
coursed of as they really are, but under images 
alike gross and sensual with those we meet with in 
the Koran. — Once more, 

3. The reasoning injudiciously from types and 
figures begets a kind of faith that is precarious and 
ineffectual. 

We have clear and positive proofs of the facts the 
gospel relates, and the important doctrines that 
are founded thereon. But if, instead of examining 
these proofs to the bottom and reasoning with men 
upon them, we content ourselves with mere analo- 
gical evidence, and rest the issue of the question in 
debate upon fanciful and imaginary ground j our 
faith will bo continually wavering, and produce rift 



0¥ ALLEGORICAL INSTRUCTION. 65 

substantial and abiding fruits. An enthusiast, 
struck with appearances, instantly yields his as- 
sent to a proposition without considering at all the 
evidence. But as soon as his passions cool and 
the false glare upon his imagination subsides, his 
faith dies away, and the fruit expected from it 
proves utterly abortive. To treat therefore divine 
truths after this manner, as if the direct and pro- 
per evidence were insufficient, is to do those truths 
great injustice, -to affront the understanding of our 
hearers, and to injure them in their most impor- 
tant interests. The apostles wherever they came 
soberly reasoned both with Jews and Gentiles con- 
cerning the Messiah and his kingdom : with the 
former out of the old testament scriptures, which 
they admitted to be the word of God ; and with the 
latter from those principles of nature which they 
acknowledged to be divine. And in such manner 
should we discourse of the great truths of religion, 
first laying down those which are admitted on ail 
hands, then reasoning from them to others by ne- 
cessary consequence ; and having established the 
divine authority of the scriptures, proceed to prove 
by clear, direct, and positive evidence the doctrine 
therein contained. A faith thus generated in the 
minds of men will not fail, with the concurring en- 
ergy of the Holy Spirit, to produce the fruits of 
love and obedience. 

Thus have we pointed out some of the evils 
which unthinking people are in danger of suffering 

from allegorical preaching. But this is not alh 

6# 



66 THE USE AND ABTTSE 

Men of more refined understandings, and a scep- 
tical turn of mind, are induced hereby to reject 
religion and treat it with contempt. Suppose a 
man of this cast to go into a christian assembly* 
and hear the plain histories of the old testament 
allegorized : as for instance, the falling of the 
borrowed axe into Jordan made to signify the 
apostacy of our first parents, and Elisha's causing 
it to swim interpreted of our miraculous recovery 
by Christ; suppose him, I say,, to hear a whole 
discourse thus managed, what would be the effect ? 
He would perhaps conclude that this fanciful ac- 
count of the doctrines meant to be inculcated, was 
the best proof the preacher could bring in support 
of them, and so would be confirmed in his infidel- 
ity : while sensible people, who do believe them* 
would be hurt to the last degree by the officious 
zeal of this inconsiderate expounder of scripture* 
So injurious to the cause of truth is this fanciful 
mode of interpreting scripture, that a late virulent 
opposer of Christianity^ insidiously adopted it, 
in order to bring the gospels of the four evange- 
lists into contempt. Under pretence of zeal for 
his bible, he tells us with a grave countenance, 
that the accounts of our Saviour's miracles are to 
be taken not literally but mystically : so meaning 
to deprive us of one main evidence of the truth of 
Christianity, by bringing the reality of the mira- 
cles into question ; and at the same time to raise 

* Mr. Woolston, in his " Moderator between an Infidel and an 
Apostate ;" and his " Six Discourses on the Miracles of Christ." 



OF ALLEGUBICAX INSTRUCTION. 6? 

a laugh upon christians, as a company of credu- 
lous fools, ready to receive any interpretation of 
scripture as genuine which either ignorance or 
funcy may impose upon it. Sure I am, the real 
friends of Jesus would not like to rank with men 
of this cast ; they, however, who treat scripture 
in the manner we have been protesting against, 
must not be angry with us if we tell them, that 
they are gratifying, though undesignedly, the 
wishes of these men, and in effect helping forward 
the cause of infidelity, 

A word or two now shall suffice for the evils 
attending declamatory preaching, by which I mean 
all discourses, whether allegorical or not, that are 
destitute of sober reasoning and addressed merely 
to the passions ; loose essays, or harangues on 
popular subjects, filled with trite observations, and 
set off with witty conceits and trifling stories, de- 
livered in a manner more suitable to the stage 
than the pulpit. We have already observed, that 
such kind of preaching is by no means adapted to 
instruct and edify. But what I have here to add 
is, that its tendency is extremely pernicious. It 
begets contempt in those who are ill-affected to 
religion. It excites levity in those who are indif- 
ferent about it. It disgusts sensible and serious 
Christians. And, if any may be supposed to be 
awakened by it, such persons are in danger of 
mistaking impressions that are the effect of a mere 
mechanical influence upon their passions, for the 
work of God upon their hearts. And should not 



63 Tjm USE AK.D ABUSE 

these evils be seriously considered by all who have 
unhappily fallen into this extravagant manner of 
preaching ? These are not trifling matters. The 
glory of God, the honour of religion, the welfare 
of immortal souls, and your own reputation, sirs, 
both as men and as ministers are concerned. But 
alas ! little is to be expected from these expostula- 
tions with weak and conceited people, and less 
with those who are governed in the exercise of 
their ministry by base and unworthy motives. It 
is however to be hoped, that good men who may 
have been hastily precipitated by a lively imagina- 
tion and a warm heart into this mode of treating 
divine things, will on sober reflection acknowledge 
that they may possibly be in an error, and that it 
is their duty to speak the word, as with all plain- 
ness, so with sobriety, wisdom, and reverence. 

Upon the whole, let us, my brethren, be per- 
suaded to consider well the infinite importance of 
the message with which we are entrusted to man- 
kind, and how much the credit of religion and our 
real usefulness depend upon our delivering it in a 
proper manner. Let us form our preaching, not 
to the depraved taste of any set of people what- 
ever, but after the model our divine Master and 
his apostles have set us*. Let us first endeavour 
to inform men's understandings, and then to get 
at their consciences ; always remembering that if 
these objects are not gained, the more we practise 
upon their passions the greater real injury we do 
them. Let us, in the progress of our ministry ^ 



OF AUD.EGORICAI. INSTRUCTION, 69 

look well to our aims and views j ever making it 
our grand end to glorify God, and save the souls 
of men. And while in matters of indifference we 
become all tilings to all men, let us not forget 
what our bible tells us, that if we seek to please 
men, we are not the servants of Christ.* And thus 
pursuing the line of duty which God has laid down 
in his word, and depending on the gracious influ- 
ence of the Holy Spirit for success, let us assure 
ourselves our labour shall not be in vain in the 
Lord* 

*tSalatians i. 10",. 



76 THE 1EADING IDEAS 0* 



PART II. 

E have considered the history of the para* 
Me before us, enquired into the grounds and rea- 
sons of this mode of instruction, mentioned the 
peculiar inducements our Saviour had to address 
the people in this manner, and laid down some 
rules to assist us in the interpretation of the para- 
bles. This has led me to observe the importance 
of carefully guarding against an intemperate use 
of metaphors, in discourses on moral and religious 
subjects | an evil which too much prevails in our 
time. This sort of preaching, find all preaching 
of a mere declamatory kind, whether allegorical 
or not, we have described y and shewn the false 
principles upon which it is adopted, and the very 
pernicious tendency of it. And we now return t® 
the subject before us—- the explanation and im- 
provement of The parable of the Sower. The 
general outlines of instruction meant to be con- 
veyed by it, appear upon the face of the parable : 
we are happy, however, in having our Saviour's 
own interpretation of it, as we are hereby secured 
from the danger of mingling our own vain con- 
. ceits with it. His exposition of it the evangelist 
has given us, # which we shall now recite in Ms 
own words. 

•Verse 18—23 



THE PARABLE EXPLAINED. 71 

•Hear ye the parable of the sower. When any one 
Tieareih the word of the kingdom, and iwiderstavdeth 
it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away 
that which was soxcn in his heart : this is he which 
received seed by the way-side. But he that received 
the seed into stony places, the same is he that hearetk 
the word, and anon with joy receiveth it: yet hath 
he not root in himself, but dureth for a while : for 
when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the 
word, by and by he is offended. He also that receiv- 
ed seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; 
and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of 
riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. 
But he that received seed into the good ground is he 
that heareth the word, and understandeth it ; which 
also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hun- 
dredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 

His audience, you see, our Saviour ranks under 
four distinct characters — the inattentive — the 
enthusiastic — the worldly-minded — and the 
sincere ; each of which characters he draws with 
admirable precision and energy. And since most 
assemblies consist of persons who answer to these 
descriptions, we propose to consider particularly 
what our Lord has here said respecting each of 
them. But in order to open the way to this our 
grand object, it will be necessary to explain the 
principal leading ideas in the parable. These are 
the Sower— the Seed— the Ground— and the Effect 
ef casting the seed into it* 



?4 THE XEADING IDEAS OF 

I. By the Sower is meant our Saviour himself, 
and all those whose office it is to instruct men in 
the truths and duties of religion. 

The business of the husbandman is of all others 
most important and necessary, requires much 
skill and attention, is painful and laborious, and 
yet not without pleasure and profit. A man of this 
profession ought to be well versed in agriculture, 
to understand the difference of soils, the various 
methods of cultivating the ground, the seed proper 
to be sown, the seasons for every kind of work, 
and in short how to avail himself of all circum- 
stances that arise for the improvement of his farm. 
He should be patient of fatigue, enured to disap- 
pointment, and unwearied in his exertions. Every 
day will have its proper business. Now he will * 
manure his ground, then plough it; now r cast the 
seed into it, then harrow it ; incessantly watch 
and weed it ; and after many anxious cares, and # 
if a man of piety, many prayers to Heaven, he 
will earnestly expect the approaching harvest. 
The time come, with a joyful eye he will behold 
the ears fully ripe bending to the hands of the 
reapers, put in the sickle, collect the sheaves, and 
bring home the precious grain to his garner. 

Hence we may frame an idea of the character 
and duty of a christian minister. He ought to be 
well-skilled in divine knowledge, to have a com- 
petent acquaintance with the world and the human 
heart, to perceive clearly wherein the true interest 
of mankind consists, to have just apprehensions of 



THE PABABXE EXPLAINED, £3 

the way of salvation, and to be rightly instructed 
in the various duties he has to inculcate. He 
should have an aptitude and ability to teach, and 
his bosom should burn with a flaming zeal for the 
glory of God, the honour of Christ, and the wel- 
fare of immortal souls. He should, in fine, be en- 
dued with a humble, meek, patient, and persever- 
ing sp irit. 

Thus qualified for his work, he must study to ap~ 
prove himself, unto God a workman that needeth not to 
he ashamed, rightly dividing tlie word of truth.* He 
must consider well the character and condition of 
those he instructs, adapt himself to their various 
capacities, sieze every favourable opportunity of 
getting at their hearts, and call in to his aid every 
possible argument to enforce divine truth. He 
must give to every one his portion in due season, 
milk to babes and meat to strong men ; and lead 
them on from one stage of instruction to an- 
other as they can bear it, initiating them in the 
first principles of the doctrine of Christ, and so 
bringing them forward to perfection. Now it 
must be his object, by sounding the terrors of the 
divine law in their ears, to plough up the fallow 
ground of men's hearts; and then, by proclaiming 
the glad tidings of the gospel, to cast in the seeds 
of every christian grace and virtue. He must be 
instant in season and out of season, reprove, rebuke, 
and exhort with all long-suffering :\ put out his 

*2Tim. ii. 15.— f iv. 2, 

7 



74 TBSB USABIfrG M)EAS OF 

whole strength, he superior to every discourage- 
ment, and labour incessantly in his duty. 

Pain and pleasure will attend all his exertions, 
and alternately affect his spirits. The different 
characters he has to deal with, and different im- 
pressions the word makes at different times ; the 
various circumstances that arise to aid or obstruct 
his endeavours, and the various frames to which 
he is himself liable ; these will all operate to create 
sometimes anxious fears, and at others the most 
pleasing expectations. Now we shall hear him 
with great sadness of heart complaining, Who 
hath believed my report, and to whom is the arm of 
the Lord revealed ?* and then, in the animated lan- 
guage of the apostle, thanking God for that he hath 
caused him to triumph in Christ, and made manifest 
by his labours the favour of his knowledge in every 
placed Now we see him go forth weeping, bearing 
precious seed : and then come again rejoicing, bring- 
ing his sheaves with him.\ — Such are the duties and 
labours, such the anxieties and hopes, such the 
disappointments and successes of those who preach 
the gospel, and who answer to the character of 
the sower in our parable who went forth to sow* 

Of these sowers some have been more skilful, 
laborious, and successful than others. Among 
them the apostle Paul holds 2l distinguished rank. 
38y his lips the gospel was published through a 
great part of the known world, and by his hands 

• Isai. Iiii. U 1 2 Cor, ii. 14, i Psal cxxvi.'ft 



THE PARABLE EXPLAINER. 75 

churches were planted in most of the cities and 
provinces of the Roman empire. And, thanks bo 
to God ! persons of this character have been rais- 
ed up in every age, by whose means divine know- 
ledge, with all the blessed friiits of it, has been 
propagated among mankind. But the most skil- 
ful and painful of all sowers was our Lord Jesus 
Christ. He, the prince of prophets, the most il- 
lustrious of all teachers, spake the word with a 
clearness, affection, and authority that surpassed 
all who went before him or have ever followed 
him. — this leads us, 

II. To consider the Seed sown, which or Sa- 
viour explains of the word of the kingdom, or, as 
Luke has it,* the word of God* 

The husbandman will be careful to sow his 
ground with good seed. He goeth forth, says the 
psalmist, bearing precious seed — seed of such a 
nature as will produce, with the favour of divine 
providence, wholesome fruit — fruit that will nou- 
rish and strengthen those who partake of it. In 
like manner the word of the kingdom is precious 
seed — seed which will not fail, when sown in the 
heart and cherished there by a divine influence, to 
produce wholesome and pleasant fruit. 

By the word of the kingdom is meant the gospel,, 
or the glad tidings of salvation by Christ. Our 
Saviour came to erect a kingdom, infinitely more 
fc a PPy? glorious, and durable than any that had 

* eh. viii. 11, 



T$ THE XEADING IDEAS OF 

ever flourished in our world* And whether we 
consider it in reference to personal religion— the 
church — or a future state, it exhibits to our view a 
most striking display of the majesty and benigni- 
ty of God.— Let us apply it 

1. To personal religion. 

In this sense it is used by our Saviour, when 
lie exhorts his disciples to seek first the king- 
dom of God and his righteousness:* and it is this 
the apostle means when adopting the same figure, 
he tells us, it is not meat and drink, but righteous- 
ness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. f In the 
heart of every real christian a kingdom is esta- 
blished. This kingdom succeeds to one that had 
1been torn to pieces by intestine broils and animosi- 
ties : for such is the state of the mind while en- 
slaved by sin and sense. But now Christ is the 
sovereign of it : lie sways his sceptre over all the 
powers of the soul. Enlightened by his doctrine, 
and subdued by his grace, they all submit to his 
mild and equitable government. Peace, order, 
and good faith are restored to this little common- 
wealth. It confides in him the prince of peace, as 
its redeemer and saviour, enjoys its liberties un- 
der his influence and protection, and cordially ac- 
quiesces in his authority and laws. What a bles= 
sed revolution is this in the breast of every con- 
vert to religion ! How many and great are the 
immunities to which such an one is entitled ! A 

* Matt, v'u 33. | Rom. xiv. IT, 



TK£ PABABLE EXPIATED. 7f 

kingdom thus rising into existence shall become 
more and more happy and glorious. And how- 
ever it may sometimes be shook by the powers of 
darkness, it shall prevail against all opposition, 
and by and by attain to the greatest height of 
splendour and glory in the world above. 

Now the seed sown in the hearts of men is the 
word of this kingdom, or that divine instruction 
which relates to the foundation, erection, princi- 
ples, maxims, laws, immunities, government, pre- 
sent happiness, and future glory of this kingdom : 
all which we have contained in our bibles. It is 
the doctrine of Christ — a doctrine which compre- 
hends in it the whole system of divine truth, 
whereby we are taught our guilt, depravity, and 
♦misery, the grounds on which we are pardoned, 
justified and saved, the nature and necessity of 
faith and repentance, the honours and privileges 
to which we are entitled as christians, our dutyio 
God ourselves and one another, the aid and influ- 
ences of the Holy Spirit, and the glorious pros- 
pects of a future happy immortality.— Again, let 
us apply the idea of a kingdom, 

£. To the christian dispensation, or the whole 
visible church. 

In this sense it is used by John the baptist, Re- 
pent ye: for the kingdom of heaven, that is, the gos- 
pel dispensation, is at hands* All who profess the 
doctrine and submit to the institutions of Christy 

* Matt, iii. % 



78 THE XEADIxYG IDEAS ©B 

compose one body of which he is the head, one king- 
dom of which he is the sovereign-— a kingdom which, 
he himself tells us, isnc€ of this world,* established 
not upon the same principles, nor governed and 
defended after the same manner, as the kingdoms 
©f this world. It is a spiritual kingdom, erected 
upon the ruins of the fall, and gradually rising to 
a kind of glory far surpassing that of the greatest 
empire on earth- Christ, though invisible to the 
human eye, reigns over it with uncontrouled autho- 
rity, unerring wisdom, and infinite gentleness and 
love. And his subjects, who render cheerful alle- 
giance to him, he not only protects and saves, but 
enriches with the best and noblest blessings.— 
And by the word of the kingdom, in this idea of it, 
is intended all the laws which Christ has institu- 
ted for the government of his church ; and all the 
instructions he has given us respecting its wor- 
sMp, ordinances, discipline, protection, sufferings, 
increase, and final glory. — Once more, the term 
kingdom is to be understood also, 

3. Of heaven and ail the happiness and glory to 
be enjoyed there. 

So it is used by our Saviour, in his sermon on 
the mount, where he, assures those who are perse- 
cuted for righteousness sake, that theirs is the king- 
dom of heaven ;f and in another place, Fear not, 
little flock; for it is yonr Father's good pleasure to 
give tjou the kingdom^ The splendor of this king- 

* Johp xviii, 36. f Matt. v. 10. i Luke xii. 32. 



THE PARABLE EXJPIAIXEI); 

dom exceeds all description and imagination. Eye 
hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered in- 
to the heart of man, the things which God hath pre- 
pared for them that love him.* In heaven the bles- 
sed and only Potentate, the King of Kings, and 
Eord of Lords, means ere long to collect together 
all his faithful subjects from the most remote parts 
of his empire j to make one grand exhibition to 
their astonished sight of the riches of his glorious 
kingdom, and the honour of his excellent majesty ; 
to unveil his infinite excellencies to their view, 
after a manner the present state will not admit of; 
and to entertain them with joys the most refined, 
satisfying, and eternal. — Well, and the gospel is 
the word of this kingdom, and it has assured us 
upon the most certain grounds of its reality, and 
given us the amplest description of its glories our 
present imperfect faculties are capable of receiv- 
ing. Life and immortality are brought to light by 
the gospel.] And God, of his abundant mercy, hath 
begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrec- 
tion of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance 
incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not 
away 4 — Thus we have the sum of that doctrine 
which the ministers of Christ are instructed to 
publish to the world, and which is the Seed the 
sower went forth to sow. — Hence we proceed, 

III. To consider the Ground into which the seed 
is cast, by which our Saviour intends the Soul of 

* 1 Cor. ij. 9, £2 Tim. u 10. 1 1 Per. i. $, 4': 



80 THE UEADXKG IDEAS OF 

man, that is, the understanding, judgment, memo- 
ry, will, and affections. 

The ground, I mean the earth on which we 
tread, is now in a different state from what it was 
in the beginning, the curse of God having been 
denounced upon it.^ In like manner the soul of 
man, in consequence of the apostacy of our first 
parents, is enervated, polluted, and depraved. 
This is true of every individual of the human 
race. It is a fact sufficiently attested by experi- 
ence, and plainly asserted in scripture. God made 
man upright : but they have sought out many inven* 
tions.j By one man sin entered into the world, and 
death by sin : and so death passed upon all men, for 
that all have sinncd.i Who can bring a clean thing 
out of an unclean ? Not one.§ There is none righte-* 
oils, no not one : they are all gone out of the way.\\ 
The scripture hath concluded all under sin.^\ Of the 
nature, extent, and dreadful effects of this misera^ 
hie depravity -we shall have frequent occasion to 
speak hereafter. It shall suffice at present to ob- 
serve, that as there is a variety in the soil of dif- 
ferent countries, and as the ground in some places 
is less favourable for cultivation than in others 5 
Sb it is in regard of the soul. There is a differ- 
ence in the strength, vigour, and extent of men's 
natural faculties : nor can it be denied that the 
moral powers of the soul are corrupted in some, 

* Gen. iii. 17. f Eccles. vii. 29. | Rom. v. 1?.. 
§ Job xiv. 4. I] Rom. iii, 10, 12. J Gal. HI 22; 



THE PARABLE EXFfcAINES. 81 

through sinful indulgences, to a greater degree 
than in others. 

As to mental abilities, who is not struck with 
the prodigious disparity observable among man- 
kind in this respect ? Here we see one of a clear 
understanding, a lively imagination, a sound judg- 
ment, a retentive memory : and there another re- 
markably deficient in each of these excellencies, 
if not wholly destitute of them all. These are 
gifts distributed among mankind in various por- 
tions. But none possess them in that perfection 
they were enjoyed by our first ancestors in their 
primeval state. On the contrary, they are re- 
duced, even in the most shining characters, to a 
rery humiliating degree* beneath the original 
standard. So that it is true #f all mankind, that 
they are at best weak and fallible, especially in 
regard of the great concerns of religion. 

But it is with the moral powers of the soul 
we are here chiefly concerned. There is in every 
man, previous to his being renewed by the grace 
of God, a prevailing aversion to what is holy and 
good j and a strong propensity to what is sinful 
and pernicious. The carnal mind, as the apostle 
tells us, # is enmity against God : for it is not sub- 
ject to the law of God, neither indeed can he* But 
then this depravity, which is universal, is capable 
of being heightened and increased. This is too 
often the case. Repeated acts of sin confirm viU 

* Rom. viii. 7, 



8& THE READING IDEAS- 9S' 

cious habits, and render them unconquerable : anS 
men, having a long while boldly resisted the dic- 
tates of natural conscience and the persuasions of 
religion, are at length given up to blindness of 
eyes and hardness of heart In such cases they 
answer to that striking description of the apostle,^ 
where he speaks of them as ground which, bearing 
thorns and briers, is rejected, and is nigh unto curs- 
ing, whose end is to be burned. But there are some 
who, though partakers with others of the general 
depravity, are yet of a nature more tender, and 
flexible : and though they have the seeds of all sin 
in their hearts, yet their growth having been 
checked by early instructions and the restraints of 
divine grace, the soil m#y be said to be more fa- 
Tourable for cultiv a^pn than that just described. 
This view of the matter receives confirmatioa 
from the different account our Saviour gives of the 
several kinds of ground in which the good seed 
was sown. That which was stony, by reason of 
the thin mould cast over it, was more favourable 
for the reception of the seed than the beaten path 
by the way-side ; and that in the hedges than the 
stony places. Yet neither of these soils, though 
somewhat different from each other, could bring 
forth fruit to perfection without cultivation. Nor 
do we mean to say, whatever difference there may 
be in the natural tempers of persons, or however 
they may be assisted and improved by education 

* Heb, tL 8. 



TrfE PAKABLE EXPXAINEB* 88 

and the ordinary restraints of Providence, that 
they will any of them bring forth good fruit with- 
out the effectual influence of renewing grace. The 
ground must be first made good, and then it will 
be fruitful. So our Saviour says,* Either make 
the tree good, and his fruit good ; trr else make the 
tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt : for the tree is 
known by his fruit But of this we shall have 
occasion to speak more particularly hereafter. — 
It remains that we now, 

IV. Consider the general Process of this busi- 
ness, as it is either expressly described or plainly 
intimated in the parable. 

The ground, first manured and made good, is 
laid open by the plough, the seed is cast into it, 
the earth is thrown over it, in the bosom of the 
earth it remains a while, at length, mingling with 
it, it gradually expands, shoots up through the 
clods, rises into the stalk and then the ear, so 
ripens, and at the appointed time brings forth 
fruit. Such is the wonderful process of vegetation, 
Nor can we advert thus generally to these parti- 
culars, without taking into view at once the exer- 
tions of the husbandman, the mutual operation of 
the seed and the earth on each other, and the sea- 
sonable influence of the sun and the rain, under 
the direction and benediction of divine providence. 

So in regard of the gfeat business of religion : 
the hearts of men are?%rst disposed to listen to the 

♦jVTatt. xiTo 33, 






$4 the Reading ideas of 

instructions of God's word ; these instructions are 
then, like the seed, received into the understand- 
ing, will, and affections ,• and after awhile, having 
had their due operation there, bring forth in vari- 
ous degrees the acceptable fruits of love and obe- 
dience, And how natural in this case, as in the 
former, while we are considering the rise and pro- 
gress of religion in the soul, to advert, agreeable 
to the figure in the parable, to the happy concur- 
rence of a divine influence with the great truths of 
the gospel dispensed by ministers, and with the 
reasonings of the mind and heart about them. To 
shut out all idea here of such influence would be as 
absurd, as to exclude the influence of the atmos- 
phere and sun from any concern in culture and 
vegetation. Let the husbandman lay what ma- 
nure he w ill on barren ground, it can produce no 
change in the temperature of it, unless it thorough- 
ly penetrates it, and kindly mingles with it ; and 
this it cannot do without the assistance of the fall- 
ing dew and rain, and the genial heat of the sun. 
In like manner all attempts, however proper in 
themselves, to change the hearts of men, and to 
dispose them to a cordial reception of divine 
truths ; will be vain without the concurrence of 
almighty grace. Of Lydia it is said, the Lord 
opened her heart, that she attended unto the things 
'which were spoken of Pavh* And it is God, the 
'apostle tells us, that ivorketk.in ns both to will and 

* Acts xvi. 14. 



THE PAYABLE EXPLAINED. 85 

io do of his good pleasure*. Nor can the seed, 
though cast into the most favourable soil, expand, 
shoot up, and ripen into fruit, without a concur- 
rence of the same influence which rendered culti- 
vation in the first instance effectual. Suppose the 
sun no more to rise, and the dews no more to fall ; 
there would be a total end to vegetation, the seed 
would perish in the clods, and the earth cease to 
bring forth her fruits. And so it would be in the 
religious world, were the influences of divine grace 
totally suspended. 

And now, upon this view of the matters, how 
great the absurdity as well as impiety of excluding 
the operations of the Holy Spirit from all concern 
in the renovation of the heart ! If we may reason 
by analogy from the works of nature to those of 
grace, this rejection must strike lis in the most 
forcible manner. It is true our Saviour does not, 
in his explanation of the parable, say any thing 
expressly of the influences of the Spirit. But the 
doctrine itself, which he elsewhere asserts in the 
clearest terms, is founded in the principle* of the 
parable; and so interwoven with its very frame 
and contexture, that to deny the former is in effect 
to destroy the latter. What man in his senses can 
suppose, that in the account our Lord here gives 
of sowing, he meant to affirm that the sun and the 
weather have no concern in the success of this 
business ? How absurd then to imagine that in a 

* Philip, ii. 13, 



86 the Reading ideas of 

discourse, wherein he represents by this figure of 
husbandry the effect of his gospel on the minds of 
his hearers, he had no regard at all to the exertion 
of a divine influence in order to render it effectual I 
Could he who every where taught that all nature 
is full of God, and that there is not a spire of grass 
that does not owe its vegetation to an almighty 
energy ; could he, I say, be indifferent to so sub- 
lime and reasonable a doctrine as that of the sove- 
reign controul and influence of the deity on the 
hearts of men ? 

To object the difficulty of conceiving how this 
influence is exerted to the existence of the fact it- 
self, is to plunge ourselves into greater and still 
more inextricable difficulty ; I mean that of shut- 
ting out God both from the natural and moral 
world, and placing blind chance and the will of a 
mere creature on the throne of supreme omnipo- 
tence. But the scriptures every where assert in 
plain words what our Saviour in this parable takes 
for granted. He himself tells us, that except a man 
is born of the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom 
of heaven: and at the same time replies to Nicode- 
mus's objection, How can these things be? by say- 
ing, the wind Moweth where it listeth, and no man 
knows whence it comes and whither it gces 9 so is 
every one that is born of the Spirit.* The evange- 
list John affirms, that they who become the sons of 
God and believe on the name of Christ, are born 9 not 

* John iii, 5.8, 



THE PARABLE EXPLAXNEB. h) 

of blood, nor of the will of the fiesh, nor of the will 
of man, bat of God* The apostle declares, we are 
GolFs workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto 
good works :f and that he hath saved us by the wash- 
ing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost : 
which he shed on us abundantly, through Jesus 
Christ our Savimr4 And the apostle James < 
sures us, that God of hit own will begat us with the 
word of truth, thai we should be a kind offrstfruils 
of his creatures^ But these are only a few among 
many other passages of the same import. 

Thus have we considered the leading ideas in 
the parable of the sower— the Seed— the Ground— 
and the gradual Process of this business,, from the 
first cultivation of the soi], and the casting the 
seed into it, to the happy issue of the whole in the 
production of fruit at harvest. And these ideas 
we have applied to the origin, progress, and eiTect 
of religion in the heart and life of a real cfe^isSsS; 
So our way is open to the consideration of the se- 
veral characters our Saviour means to hold up to 
our view, which w 7 ill be the subject of the follow- 
ing discourses. In the mean time let us make a 
few reflections on what has been said. 

1. How honourable, important, and laborious 
is the employment of ministers ! 

Our business, my brethren, is with the immortal 
souls of men, to plough up the fallow ground of the 

* John i. 12, 13, f Eph. ii. 10, iTk- iii. 5, 6.- 
§ James i. 18, 



88 THE XiEABING IDEAS OE 

heart, t® cast in the seed of truth, and all with a 
view to their bringing forth the fruits of holiness. 
Can any service be more interesting, or more 
painful and pleasant than this? What fervent 
seal, what tender pity, what persevering resolu- 
tion should inspire our breasts ! Let us get all 
^the knowledge we can in our profession, let us be 
expert in all the duties of it, let us have our hearts 
in it, and put otrt all our strength in the labours of 
it. Let us be instant in season and out of season, 
watch for the souls of men as those that must give 
an account, and seize every favourable opportuni- 
ty that offers of promoting the great objects of 
God*s glory and their salvation. We must ex- 
pect, like the husbandman, to meet with our dis- 
appointments, and many will be our anxieties and 
sorrows. But let us not be unduly cast down : 
though we sow in tears, we shall ere long reap in 
ioy, 

2. What a great blessing is the word of God ! 
It is more precious far than the seed with which 
the husbandman sows his ground. With this we 
are begotten by the will of God, that we may be a 
kind of first-fruits of his creatures. Divine know- 
ledge, entering into our understandings and min- 
gling with our experience, makes ns wise unto 
salvation, cheers and enlivens our hearts, and dis- 
poses us to every good word and work. how 
attentively therefore should we read the word of 
Godl how diligently should we endeavour to un- 
derstand it ! how implicitly submit our judgment 



ME PAKABLE EXPZAINEB. 89 

and conscience to its authority ! how cordially em- 
brace its sacred truths ! and how regularly and 
constantly govern our lives by its precepts ! To 
this good word of God, brethren, we commend yon, 
persuaded that it is able to build you up, and to give 
you an inheritance among all them that are sancti- 
fied.* 

3. What cause have we for deep humiliation be- 
fore God, when we reflect on the miserable depra- 
vity of human nature ! 

The earth has evident signs of the curse of God 
upon it. Thorns 'and thistles it hings forth, and in 
sorrow and in the sweat of our face we eat of it, till 
we return unto the ground.-f In like manner the 
soul of man is wretchedly dishonoured, enervated, 
and corrupted by sin. The soil that was origin- 
ally rich, pure, and flourishing, and brought 
forth fruit spontaneously; has lost its beauty and 
verdure, is become cold and barren, and till it is 
manured and cultivated by divine grace, produces 
little else but bitter herbs and noxious plants. 
What have we then, in this our apostate state, to 
boast of ? God created man in uprightness, but he 
hath sought out many inventions.^ The gold is be- 
come dim, the fine gold is changed. Let us there- 
fore humbly prostrate ourselves before God and in 
the language of the patriarch Job§ say, / have 
heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now my 

* Acts xx. 32. f Gen. iii. 17, 18, 19 ; 

} Secies, vii. 29; § Job xlii. 5, 6, 

• 8* 



90 THE LEASING IDEAS, &<% 

eye seeth thee, wherefore I abhor myself, and repent 
m dust and ashes. — In a word, 

4. And lastly, How great are our obligations to 
divine grace for the renewing influences of the 
Holy Spirit ! 

If the barren soil of our hearts has been cultiva- 
ted, if the seed of divine truth has been cast into 
it, if the dews from the everlasting hills have copi- 
ously descended on it, if the balmy influence of the 
blessed Spirit has warmed it, caused the living 
principles of grace implanted there to dilate, 
spring up, and bring forth the fruits of holiness j 
If, I say, God of his mercy has taken such mea- 
sures as these with us, how devoutly should we 
acknowledge his goodness ! Let not the regard 
which the sower pays to divine providence, re- 
proach our inattention and insensibility to the 
more noble and salutary influences of divine grace. 
These let us earnestly implore, and in these let us 
humbly confide. And ere long our shouts of praise 
to the great Author of all grace, shall far exceed 
those of the grateful husbandman to the God of 
nature, when he brings home the precious grain to 
his garner. 



DISCOURSE II. 

The character of inattentive hearers con- 
sidered. 



PART t 

Matt. xiii. 4. 

And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way-side? 
and the fowls of the air came and devoured them 
up. 

f V E have explained at large the leading ideas 
in this parable, and proceed now to consider the 
several kinds of hearers our Lord meant to des- 
cribe. Their characters are drawn with admira- 
ble precision, and will furnish us with many use- 
ful lessons of instruction. They may be all class- 
ed under four heads* — the inattentive — the 

ENTHUSIASTIC — the WORLDLY-MINDED. — the SIN- 
CERE. It is upon the first of these we are now to 
discourse. 

FIRST, The inattentive, or those, upon 
whose minds the word has no salutary effect at all. 



92 INATTENTIVE HEARERS. 

When the Sower casts abroad his seed, sonis 
MI on the path lying through the field, or on that 
without the inclosure, the way-side, or causey : 
and so the ground being common, uncultivated 
and grown hard by being frequently trod on, it is 
incapable of receiving the seed into it. Here 
therefore it lies, and is either bruised and destroy- 
ed by the feet of him who next passes that way j 
or else the fowls of the air, birds of prey quickly 
come and devour it. How natural the descrip- 
tion ! 

Let us now hear oar Saviour's exposition of this 
part of the parable. When any one heareth the 
word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then 
corneth the wicked one, and catcheth away- that which 
tva* sown in his heart: this is he who received seed 
by the way side.— Here several things are to be 
observed, as, 

1. These persons hear the word. They are not 
deaf, and so utterly incapable of hearing. Nor 
are they determined at all events that they will 
not hear. This is the deplorable character of too 
many people. They ily from the word of God 
rmd the means of religion, as they would from the 
pestilence. They refuse him that speaketh, that 
is, will not so much as give him a hearing. No 
consideration can prevail on them to enter the 
places where the gospel is preached. And when 
God in his providence calls aloud to them, they re- 
ply, as did the Jews of whom the prophet Jeremi- 
ah speaks, I will not hear ; and this is their manner 



INATTENTIVE HEARERS. 33 

from their youth.* But the persons here meant to 
be described do hear. So far their conduct is com- 
mendable. — But then, 

2. They are only occasional hearers of the word. 
Tlrey are, in regard of the assemblies where the 
gospel is preached, what the way side is to the 
field where the seed is sown, ground without the 
inclosure, or whereon the seed falls as it were- ac- 
cidentally or by chance. They come now and 
then to the house of God, induced by motives of 
curiosity and amusement, or others more base and 
unworthy, But admitting that in compliance 
with custom, education, or at best the constraints 
©f conscience, they attend more regularly j yet, 

3. They are not at all prepared for hearing the 
"word. The ground is beaten ground, it has re- 
ceived no cultivation whatever. Keep thy foot, 
says the wise man, when thou goesi to the house of 
God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sa- 
crifice of fools,] We ought to consider before hand 
what we are about, to look well to our views and 
motives, and to endeavour to compose our minds 
to the solemnities of divine service. But to these 
exercises of the heart the persons we are her© 
speaking of are perfect strangers. They rush into 
the presence of almighty God as the horse into the 
battle, without any awe of that great Being upon 
their spirits, and without any concern to profit 

* Chap. srii. 21, fEccles. v, 1, 



94 INATTENTIVE HEARERS. 

by what they hear. And hence it may be pre- 
sumed, 

4. That they hear in a heedless desultory manner, 
Their attention is not fixed, their thoughts are riot 
collected, they regard not the drift of the discourse, 
observe not the connection, nor comprehend the 
reasoning. And so, 

5. They midvrsland it mt 9 that is, they remain 
grossly ignorant. Not that they are destitute of 
the powers of perception and reasoning, in a state 
of absolute idiocy or infinity. No. They hava 
common sense, and it may be. a great deal of na- 
tural sprightliness and sagacity. But not using 
the faculties they are endowed with, not listening 
to what they hear, and not taking pains to appre- 
hend and retain itjthey only affix some general 
idea to this or that passing sentence: and so aro 
as uninformed as if they did not hear at all. — But 
there are some in the class of hearers our Lord 
here describes who, 

6. Do in a sense understand the word : for th© 
seed is said, in the latter part of the verse, to be 
sown in their hearts. Now these persons hear with 
more attention, but alas ! to no better purpose, than. 
the others : for their. attention being the fruit of 
mere curiosity, all the knowledge they acquire in 
religion is merely speculative. And of this they 
have, perhaps, not a little, insomuch that they think 
themselves qualified to be teachers of others. But 
with all their systematical acquaintance with doc- 
trines, all their knowledge of technical terms, a! 1 



INATTENTIVE HEARERS* W 

tlieir nice distinctions, and all their profound meta- 
physical reasonings ; they are miserably ignorant 
of what lies at the foundation of religion* They 
jcnow not their own hearts, they perceive not the 
evil of sin, they apprehend not the danger to which 
they are exposed, they have no just idea of their 
need of Christ and his salvation, and of tlfe beauty 
and excellence of true holiness, They hold the 
truth in unrighteousness, a great deal of error is 
mixed with it, or if their notions are just, yet there 
is one grand truth of which they have no concep- 
tion at all, and that is the infinite importance of 
these things. And so these persons may be said 
not to understand the word of the kingdom, — But 
if they do in a sense understand it, yet, 

■7. It makes not any abiding impression on the 
heart. The seed, as Luke expresses it, was trod- 
den down, and that instantly by the next passen- 
ger. So divine instructions are treated by these 
persons with contempt, or at best with indifference* 
They are not laid up in the memory, and seri- 
ously considered and reflected upon, but are quick- 
ly forgotten and lost. These hearers of the word 
are like unto a man that beholdeth his natural face 
in a glass, andgoeih his way, and straightway for- 
getieth what manner of man he was.^— And this 
leads us to what is princip*illy observable in the 
text, and that is, 

£. And lastly, our Saviour's account of the man- 

* James i, 23, 24; 



96 IJKTATTEWTlVE HEARERS. 

tier in which these impressions are effaced, and all 
their salutary effect defeated, • The fowls of the air 
came and devoured the seed, which had thus fallen 
on the way-side or beaten path : which our Lord 
explains of the wicked one's coming and catching 
away that which was sown in the hearts of them 
that heard, lest, as Luke adds, they should believe 
and be saved. — Here three things are to be con- 
sidered 

I. Who this wicked one is, and why he is sor 
called : 

II. What is meant by his catching away the 
seed, and how this is done: and, 

III. What is the malevolent end proposed— that 
they might not believe and be saved. 

I. Who is this wicked one, and why is lie so 
called ? 

The 'wicked one is Satan, as Mark expresses it f& 
and the Devil, as Luke has it.f To deny that 
such a spirit can exist, merely because our eyes 
do not behold him, is most unreasonable, and in 
effect to deny the Being of God himself. And to 
deny that he actually does exist, is to deny the 
truth of the scriptures. But I am not here deb at- . 
ing with either atheists or deists. It is admitted 
that there is such an one as satan or the devil. 

Now for our account of him we must be indebt- 
ed to the bible. And what does that tell us con- 
cerning him ? It tells us that he is the chief and 

* Chap. iv. 15, f Chap. viii. 12. 



INATTENTIVE HEARERS. 97 

leader of that numerous host of angels which 
waged war against Heaven, and for their rebel- 
lion were driven thence into the mansions of the 
damned, where they are reserved in everlasting 
chains under darkness, unto the judgment of tlie 
great day,* He is endowed with powers which 
faF transcend those of mankind ; and these, stim- 
ulated by unsufferable pride and desperate malev- 
olence, are exerted with all possible energy to op- 
pose the counsels of God and the interests of men* 
Hence he is called satan, that is, the adversary; 
and the devil, that is, the accuser. It was he that 
seduced our first parents from their allegiance to 
Heaven, and so introduced sin and death into our 
world : where, having thus set up his standard, he 
still exercises his usurped authority. He is the 
prince of this world, -f the prince of the power of the 
ah\\ It was he that solicited the destruction of 
the patriarch Job.§ It was he that stood up against 
Israel, and provoked David to number the people.;) 
It was he who, by becoming a lying spirit in the 
mouth of all his prophets, persuaded Ahab to fight 
with the Syrian king to his ruin.^f It was he that 
sfood at the right hand of Joshua the high priest, to 
resist him. a It was he, in fine, that tempted our 
Saviour in the wilderness, most virulently opposed 
his ministry, and was the chief actor in the last 
sad catastrophe of his sufferings and deatl 



n J 



lie 



* Hide i.*6; f T ° hn xIv - 3 '•'• iEphes. ii. 2. § Ch. i. S.~- ult. 
Ch. ii. —". }| i Chron. xxi. i. <[ 2 Chron. xviii. 20 21, 
<z Zech. iii J, 2. 



98 INATTENTIVE HEAREBS. 

w 

Wicked men, stiled in scripture the children of 
the devil, are his ministers; sometimes openly ex- 
ecuting his commands, and at others, like their 
master who transforms Jiimself into an angel of 
light, assuming the character of ministers of right- 
eousness** So with all pdwer, and signs, and lying 
wonders, he propagates through our world error, 
vice, and discord, with al long train of the most 
tremendous evils.f And so this once peaceful and 
pleasant spot is become ^n aceidama, a field of 
blood. Horrid monster ! to thy influence all the 
calamities our eyes behold and our hearts lament, 
are to be traced back ; and uj^on thy devoted head 
It is fit the wrath of incensed justice, and the curse 
of injured innocence, should fall. 

Further, he not only carries on his designs by 
instruments employed to that end, but has himself 
access to the hearts of men ; and though he cannot 
force them to ^ct against their will, yet he knows 
how by a thousand arts to catch their attention, 
play upon their imagination, inflame their desires, 
and rouse their passions. He, the god of this 
world, blinds the minds of them who believe not ;\ 
works in the children of disobedience ;§ puts it into 
the heart of Judas to betray his Master ;|| Jills the 
heart of Ananias to lie to the Holy Ghost ;fl lays 
snares for some, in order to lead them captive,* and 
walks (about, like a roaring lion, to devour others \h 

* 2 Cor. xi. 14, 15. f 2 The*- ii. 8, 9. J 2 Cor. iv. 4. 
§ Ephes. ii. 2. B John xiii. 2- % Acts v. 3. 

a 2Tim. ii. 26. b 1 Peter, v. 8. 



INATTENTIVE HEARERS- 99 

beguiles the former through His suhtilty, using a va- 
riety of wiles and devices in order to get advantage 
against them :* and violently assaults the latter, 
now by his messengers buffetting them, and then 
discharging his fiery darts at them.f In fine, he, 
the old serpent called the devil and safari? deceiveth 
the whole world :i and having so done, accuseth 
them before God day and nighty 

From this short scriptural account of satan it 
appears with what propriety he is here, and iii 
many other passages, stiled emphatically the wick- 
ed one. He is wicked himself in the highest de- 
gree, for as he exceeds all others in subtilty and 
power, so also in impiety and sin : a spirit the 
most proud, false, envious, turbulent, and malig- 
nant among all the various orders of fallen spirits. 
He too is the author of all wickedness, the contri- 
1 ver and promoter of every species of iniquity. 
Whence the infinitely numerous evils that prevail 
in our world are called the works of the devil.\\ 
Such is the character of this first apostate archan- 
gel, the grand, avowed enemy of God and man.— 
And thus are we led to our second enquiry, 

II. What is meant by his catching away the seed 9 
and how this is done. 

Immediately, as Marks has it,^f upon the seeds 
falling on the ground, the fowls of the air came and 
devoured them up. So as our Saviour interprets 

• 2 Cor, xi. 13. 14. Ephes.vi. 11. 2 Cor. ii. 11. 
t % Cor. xii. 7. Ephes. vi. 16. f Rev. xii. 9. § Rev. xii. 10." 
Si .1 John «L 8, f Chap, vr 15. 



100 INATTENTIVE HEARERS. 

this circumstance, the wicked one cometh, and catch- 
eth away the word of the kingdom that had been sown, 
or had loosely fallen on the hearts of those just now 
described. 

When the sons of God, as we read in the story of 
Job, came to present themselves before the Lord, sa- 
fari came also among them to present himself before 
the Lord.* In like manner, wherever the gospel 
is preached, lie watches his opportunity to prevent 
the due effect of the word upon those who hear it. 
To give a physical account of the manner in which 
he exerts his influence to that end, is not my busi- 
ness. It is enough to observe, that if we have 
modes of "communicating our ideas to one ano- 
ther, and of exercising the powers of persuasion 
over the minds and passions of men ; there is no ab- 
surdity in supposing that satan, though not cloath- 
ed in a human body or visible to a natural eye, may 
have access to the heart. And the language of 
our Saviour is so directly and strongly to the 
point, that it is scarce possible to give it a mean- 
ing that can any way justify a denial of fact. If 
it were downright enthusiasm to suppose that sa- 
tan can have any intercourse with the human mind, 
liow is it imaginable that our Lord, who was a 
clear decisive reasoner upon every subject, would 
expressly tell us, in the explanation of the parable, 
and without the least caution to beware of misin- 
terpreting him, that the wicked one cometh and 

* Job I 6. ch. ii. 1. 



INATTENTIVE HEARERS. 101 

caicheth away the word from the heart ? He spoke 
to plain people, and did not mean to ensnare them 
with enigmatic or figurative language. Besides, 
the opinion that then prevailed of the influence of 
satan in our world was so general, that if there 
had been no ground for the fact, such language as 
this in our text, and in those other passages just 
cited, where satan is said to have put it into the 
heart of Judas to betray his master , to have filled the 
heart of Ananias to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to 
work in the children of disobedience ; such language 
I say, could not in that case be excused of the 
charge of disingenuity and a disposition to tem- 
porize^ 

No doubt the doctrine I am defending has been 
abused by enthusiasts, on the one hand, and impos- 
tors, on the other. But if men would attend to the 
calm dictates of reason and scripture, they would 
be in no danger from either of these quarters. For 
no more is meant by the influence which satan is 
supposed in certain cases to exert over the mind? 
than what is similar to the influence which wicked 
men are acknowledged to have over others ; to al- 
lure them by persuasions to sin, and to dissuade 
them by menaces from their duty. It cannot force 
them into sin, against the consent of their will ; or, 
in other words, so operate on their minds as to de- 
prive them of that freedom, which is necessary to 
constitute them accountable creatures. And in no 
case is it exerted but by the permission and under 

9* 



10£' INATTENTIVE HEARERS. 

the controul of an infinitely superior being. To 
return. 

This mighty adversary watches his opportunity 
to prevent the salutary effect of the word upon those 
that hear it. And considering what is the character 
of the sort of hearers we are here speaking of, it is 
not to be wondered at that he is permitted to catch 
away the seed sown in their hearts, or that he suc- 
ceeds in the attempt. For if their motives in at- 
tending upon divine service are base and unworthy, 
if they address themselves to the duties of religion 
without any previous preparation, if they hear in a 
careless desultory manner, and if prejudices against 
the truth are cherished rather than opposed, all 
which as we have seen, is the case $ how righteous 
is it in God to permit Satan to use every possible 
artifice to defeat the great and good ends to which 
religious instructions are directed ! Here then let 
us consider what these artifices are, at the same 
time remembering that they take effect, and can 
only do so, by falling in with the false reasonings 
and perverse dispositions of those on whom they 
are practised. How does satan catch away the 
good seed from the heart? That is our enquiry. I 
answer — by diverting men's attention from the word 
while they are hearing it, or while they seem to 
hear it — by exciting prejudices against it — and by 
Inventing their recollecting it afterwards. 

1. Satan uses his utmost endeavours to divert 
men's attention from the word while they are hear- 
ing it 



INATTENTIVE HEARERS* 

The utility and indeed necessity of attention, in 
order to our reaping advantage from the word, is 
evident at first view. How is it possible that I 
should understand what another says, and so be 
benefitted by it, if I do not listen to him ? Nor 
will my hearing a word now and then, or catching 
a sentence as it passes, do me any material good, 
We must apply with seriousness, affection, and 
earnestness, if" we- will comprehend the reasoning 
of the speaker, and feel the force of his persua- 
sions. Hoc age, said the Roman crier to the peo- 
ple when- the priest led them on to sacrifice. So 
"we must be all attention, or the service will be 
unacceptable to God, and unprofitable to ourselves. 

Now a great variety of circumstances may and 
often do occur, to divert the mind from what ought 
to be its only object on these occasions. And 
where there is no resolution or even wish to resist 
these temptations, it is easy to see how they will- 
operate to prevent all salutary effect from the 
word. The man I here mean to describe, not 
caring at all whether he is profited by what is said, 
will not fail to be haunted with a thousand vain 
and perhaps criminal thoughts and passions. Now, 
the person, voice, attitude, and manner of the 
preacher, shall wholly occupy his attention ; and 
if there be any thing singular in either. of them, 
excite disgust or pleasantry. And then his eye 
shall be caught by the audience, the place where 
they are assembled, and particularly the counte- 
nance, dress and demeanour of this or that person 



104 INATTENTIVE &£ARE&g; 

who sits near him. And so an infinite multitude 
of idle ridiculous ideas shall crowd in upon his 
mind, and like so many demons take possession of 
his depraved imagination. Or if his attention is 
not arrested by surrounding objects, the businesses 
and amusements of life, with all their perplexing 
anxieties and fascinating desires, shall captivate 
his thoughts and create a long train of reveries, 
from which, even if he were disposed, he would 
find it difficult to extricate himself. And thus 
while the wisdom of divine truth is before him that 
hath understanding, the fool's eyes are in the ends 
of the earth.* There are few assemblies which 
do not furnish some striking examples of such 
criminal inattention, here one quietly composing 
himself to sleep, and there another indecently gaz- 
ing on all around him. And I fear the hearts of 
the generality of hearers, could we enter into them* 
would exhibit the sad scene we have been describ- 
ing in its full force ; a torrent of wild, unconnect- 
ed, trifling thoughts pouring in upon the mind, 
without even the feeble fence of one sober consi- 
deration or reflection to resist it. 

Thus does satan catch away the seed from hearts 
indisposed to receive it. He tempts, and they fall 
in with the temptation. He plays upon the imagi- 
nation by surrounding objects, or by impertinent 
ideas suggested to the mind, and they are pleased 
with what they little suspect to be the artifice of 

f Pro v. xvii. 24. 



INATTENTIVE HEARERS, 105 

tills subtle adversary. Instead of watching each 
avenue of the soul, they throw open the door to 
every vile intruder, and revel in the most wanton 
and dissipated company, while they are supposed 
to be sitting attentively at the feet of divine in- 
struction- So this mighty enemy sets up his 
standard in their bosoms, and bids defiance to the 
counsels, reproofs, and expostulations of God's 
word. So he holds his miserable vassals fast in 
the chains of ignorance and unbelief. And so they 
go away from the house of God as uninformed, 
unaffected and unimproved as they came thither. 

How lamentable the case of these hearers ! But 
however stupid they may remain for awhile, con- 
science will by and by rouse, and do its office. 
The day is coming when this sad abuse of the 
means of religion will be recollected with pungent 
griefs. They will mourn at the last, to use the 
words of Solomon, when their Jiesh and their body 
are consumed, and they will say, How have I hated 
instruction, and my heart despised reproof? And 
have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, mr inclined 
my ear to them that instructed me ? I was almost 
in all evil, in the midst of the congregation and the 
assembly.* 

2. Satan uses every art to excite and inflame 
men's prejudices against the word they hear. 

Pride and pleasure are passions that -predomi- 
nate in the human heart ; whatever therefore op- 

*Prov, v 9 11—14. 



£06 INATTENTIVE HEARERS. 

poses them must needs be irksome, and cannot 
gain admission to the mind without many painful 
struggles. Now the gospel stands directly oppos- 
ed to these criminal passions. It brings indeed 
glad tidings of great joy, and is accompanied with 
sufficient evidence. But then it teaches the most 
humiliating and self-denying truths— that we are 
all miserably ignorant, guilty, and depraved ; thai 
we are wholly indebted for our hope of escaping 
the wrath to come and acquiring the happiness of 
heaven, to the free grace of God through the me- 
diation of Christ ; that we mnst humbly renounce 
all merit at the feet of divine mercy, and submit 
ourselves to the righteousness of God. # — It teaches 
that, as it is most reasonable we should exert ev» 
cry power in the pursuit of heavenly blessings, 
so it is God that worketh in its to will and to do of 
Ms good pleasure ;\ and that it is by grace we are 
saved, through faith, and that not of ourselves, it is 
the gift of God.\ — And it further teaches, that if 
we will be the disciples of Christ, we must deny 
ourselves, and take up our cross, and follow him ;§ 
must prefer intellectual and spiritual to carnal 
and sensual pleasures, renounce the pomps and 
vanities of the world, and in the painful discipline 
®f the heart, and patient submission to trouble, 
adhere to our divine Master and his interest to the 
end. Such is the word of the kingdom, to which 
there is a deep-rooted aversion in the hearts of 

* Romans x. 3. f Philip, ii. 13, 

| EpheFians ii. 8. ^ Luke is. 23 



INATTENTIVE HEARERS. I Or 

men ; an aversion so confirmed in some by the in- 
dulgence of criminal passions, that it is almost 
unconquerable, 

Now in order to prevent a person's becoming a 
convert to religion, if he is not to be dissuaded 
from frequenting public worship, or if when there, 
his attention is not to be wholly diverted from the 
word by any of the artifices just mentioned; what 
is to be done ? Why, an artful enemy, could he 
have access to the mind, would suggest all those 
ideas to it that are adapted to rouse that aversion 
to the gospel of which we have been speaking and, 
which, once roused, would not fail to indispose the 
mind to a calm and impartial attention to the rea- 
soning of the preacher. He would address the 
passions of pride and pleasure in every possible 
way. He would make every imaginable circum- 
stance tend to his purpose. He would give an un- 
favorable cast to the doctrine, person, abilities, 
views, voice, and attitude of the speaker ; and to 
the character, sense, manners, and rank of his au- 
dience. These he would place in such a disgust- 
ing light as to provoke contempt if not abhorrence. 
He would whisper in his ear such language as this 
- — " What ! become a convert to a doctrine that af- 
fronts your reason and good sense, degrades you 
to the rank of brutes, yea beneath it, makes you a 
mere machine, or at best tells you that you must 
be a fool for Christ's sake ! Will yo& be a dupe to 
this idle declaimer, and a fellow disciple with these 
mad enthusiasts? Will you sacrifice all your just 



108 INATTENTIVE HEAitERS. 

pretensions to wit, sense, and ingenuity, and all 
your prospects of honour, wealth, and pleasure ? 
Will you be content to take your lot among a com- 
pany of ill-natured conceited fools, or perhaps de- 
signing knaves, who monopolize the favour of hea- 
ven to themselves, and deal out their anathemas 
without mercy on all others? "Will you be so lost 
to all refined reason and manly courage as to be- 
come a snivelling penitent, a senseless devotee, a 
bigoted religionist? Will you tear yourself from 
all your former gay, cheerful, and respectable con- 
nections, part with a present certainty for the chi- 
meras of futurity, and spend your remaining days 
in contempt, gloominess, and sorrow? If so, then 
listen to what these people say, implicitly believe 
their doctrine, and henceforth give yourself up 
tamely to the guidance of blind impulse and pas- 
sion." Such would be the language of this artful 
deceiver. 

That such thoughts have arisen in the minds of 
multitudes while the gospel has been soberly 
preached, and they upon the point of paying some 
attention to its reasonings and expostulations, can 
scarce be doubted. And why we should not ad- 
mit that satan may have an influence to suggest 
them I know not Of this, however, I am sure, 
that the language in our text looks strongly that 
way — the wicked one cometh and catcheth away thai 
which was sown in the heart. But permit me 
again to observe, that these measures of the great 
adversary cannot succeed, without the consent of 



INATTENTIVE IIEAEEKS. 

%he unhappy man on whom lie practices theme— ■ 
©jice more, 

3. Another artifice satan uses to counteract the 
influence of God's word on men's hearts, is to pre- 
sent their recollecting it after they have heard it. 

More depends upon the duty of recollection and 
self-application than men commonly apprehend. If 
indeed the end of preaching were only to rouse the 
passions by a blind kind of impulse, without the 
fiommunication of any knowledge to the mind, or 
the fixing any solid conviction on the judgment and 
conscience; I do not see what great good would 
result from recollection, In that case, all my 
business would be to recover those sensations of 
terror and astonishment, or of admiration and joy, 
'which were created in my breast by the tone, ges- 
ture, and eagerness of the speaker, And what ad- 
vantage it would be to me afterwards, any more 
4han at the time of hearing, to possess these merely 
^mechanical sensations, I am at a loss to say. But 
if the end of preaching is, by informing the under- 
standing and convincing flic judgment, to make the 
*eart better; then, upon the same prkiciple that it 
<ts men's duty to hear the word attentively, and to 
endeavour to iA\e utmost of their power to compre- 
hend it, it is their duty afterwards to recollect the 
ideas they got, and the impressions that were 
thereby made upon their affections, while they sal 
at the feet of instruction. 

This would be, in a sense, hearing the word 
again, hearing it with double advantage* with 



110 INATTENTIVE HEAEE&S. 

abiding and substantial effect. The ideas thus re- 
vived, the sentiments thus familiarized, the rea- 
soning thus digested, the sacred truths thus appli- 
ed and brought home to the heart; would with the 
blessing of God produce not only similar feelings, 
but a further, increasing, effectual, permanent in- 
fluence upon the temper and life. And indeed it is 
hard to conceive how a man's understanding should 
be informed, and his heart deeply impressed with 
what he has heard ; and he not disposed to recover 
the remembrance of what has passed. Was there 
ever an instance of any one who received real bene- 
fit from a sermon, which he never thought of after- 
wards? All due allowance is to be made for the 
irretentiveness of some memories, and the peculiar 
unfavourableness of some person's situation and 
tirciimstances to the duty I am recommending. 
But it is a duty most reasonable in itself, earnest- 
ly inculcated in scripture, and if there were a 
hearty good will to it, would be found to have 
fewer real obstructions to it than is commonly pre- 
tended. 

Now we will suppose a person to have heard the 
word, to have affixed some ideas to it, and to have 
received some transient impressions from it; in 
this case what is to be done in order to prevent its 
salutary effect i Satan is a more subtle artful ene- 
my than is commonly apprehended. Perceiving 
this vassal of his on the point of revolting from 
Ms service, in a situation far more hazardous than 
that of another whom h& has influen ce enough to lull 



INATTENTIVE REARERS. HI 

fast asleep under the laud calls of the gospel, or of 
one in whose breast he has address eneugh to ex- 
cite those malignant prejudices mentioned under 
the former particular; perceiving, I say, this liege 
subject in danger of being torn from his dominion, 
lie must have recourse to other artifices than those 
already used. And what more natural, what more- 
likely to succeed, than those whereby the remem- 
brance <cf what has been heard may be erased, and 
the unhappy man thrown back into exactly the 
same situation he was before lie entered the doors 
of such christian assembly? Here various expe- 
dients offer directly adapted to the purpose. And 
if I might be allowed to use figurative language, to 
give energy to this alarming subject, I would bring 
forward -satan to view in the most hideous form,, 
issuing his commands to a legion of demons, to 
seize on this apprehended apostate from his king- 
corn, to rifle him of every serious thought that oc- 
cupied his mind, and to bind him fast in the chains 
of thoughtlessness and dissipation. 

If there be truth in religion, it is certainly the 
niost important thing in the whole world. To the 
man therefore who begins to be persuaded by what 
he has heard not only of the possibility but the high 
probability of its truth, it is the language of com- 
mon sense as well as religion, " Go home, retire, 
call over the matters that have been discoursed of* 
weigh them in the impartial balance of considera- 
tion, search the scriptures, enquire into your true 
character and state towards God, look forward to 



113 INATTENTIVE HEARERS, 

death and judgment, and address your fervent cries 
to" heaven for mercy." Surely there is no enthusi- 
asm in this. It is the language of calm and sober 
reason. In matters of far less importance than 
these, admonitions to reflection and consideration 
would be deemed prudent and salutary. But alas! 
the unhappy man of whom Ave are speaking, though 
struck by the reasoning of the preacher, as was 
Felix with the discourse of the apostle Pafcl, has 
not resolution to fall in with this advice so natural, 
reasonable, and beneficiaL He has beheld himself 
for a moment in the mirrotir of truth, trembled at, 
the deformity of his countenance, and faintly wish- 
td to take measures for the restoration of the health 
ef his soul : but— sad to think !— he goes away, 
and forgets what manner of man he is. The soft 
syren-persuasions of a deceitful heart, and a thou- 
sand surrounding snares, artfully laid by satan for 
Ms ruin, prevail. 

He has scarce left the assembly, where a solemn 
awe had seized his spirits, but some trifling object 
catches his imagination, sets all his passions afloat, 
banishes every serious sentiment from his breast, 
and precipitates him into his former state of levity 
and inconsideration. Instead of retiring silently to 
his own mansion, and there calling himself and 
his family to account upon the interesting concerns 
of religion j he is instantly seen in a circle of vain, 
thoughtless, giddy people, where the subjects of 
conversation are totally foreign to those which 
just now occupied his attention. News, dress> 



IXATTENTITR HEAHERS. 113 

amusements, schemes of pleasure or business, or, 
to say the best, trifling remarks on the preacher* 
the audience, or some singularity in the behaviour 
of this or that person in the assembly ; these are 
the topics of the evening, and thus is every serious 
impression erased, and all the benefit to be expect- 
ed from public instruction entirely lost. Nor is it 
to be thought strange, the day thus closed without 
even the forms of religion, that the businesses and 
amusements of the succeeding week, should bury 
in utter oblivion the poor shadowy remains of a 
serious sentiment or an heartless wish about God 
and another world. 

Thus have we seen by what measures satan 
catches away the good seed from the hearts of men 
— by diverting their attention from the word while 
hiring it — by exciting prejudices in their breasts 
against it — and by preventing their seriously re- 
collecting it afterwards. So we are led to con- 
sider, in the third place, the malevolent end pro- 
posed thereby that they might not believe and be 
saved.* But this, with the improvement of the sub- 
ject, we shall refer to the next opportunity* 

? J,ukc viii.12. 



U4 INATTENTIVE HEARERS, 



PART II. 



Ti 



. HE character of Inattentive Hearers, and 
the sad effect of their criminal indifference to the 
word, are the subjects now under consideration. 
Some seeds fell by the way-side, and the fowls cam& 
and devoured them up.* This figurative account 
of these unhappy persons is thus expounded by our 
Lord himself^f When any one heareth the word of 
ike kingdom, and understandeth it not, then comeih 
the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was 
sown in his heart : this is he which received seed by 
the way-side. We have explained the words, and 
made some general observations upon them. So 
we have proceeded to the main thing, which is, the 
consideration of the three following enquiries — 
Who i he wicked one is, and why he is so called ?— « 
By what arte he endeavours to prevent the efficacy 
of God's word on the hearts of men ? — And the 
malevolent end he proposes thereby? Satan, or 
the devil, is the wicked one here intended : and 
with what propriety he is so s tiled appears from 
the view we have taken of his character, history, 
and works. He catcheth away the good seed of the 
word. This he does, we have shewn, by diverting 
men's attention from it — exciting prejudices in their 
breasts against it — and preventing their recollecting 
it afterwards. We proceed now, 
* Matt., xiii. 4. f v. 



INATTENTIVE HEADERS. ii> 

III. To consider the malevolent end proposed 
thereby — lest they should believe avd besetted;* or, 
in other words, that they might still be held under 
the power of unbelief and sin, and so be lost for 
ever. Horrid cruelty ! 

Here, in order the more deeply to impress our 
minds with the importance of giving the most se- 
rious attention to the word, it will be proper to 
enquire what faith is— to describe the salvation 
promised to them who believe — and to shew you 
the connexion between the one and the other. 

FIRST, What is faith ? I answer, it is a firm 
persuasion of the truth of the gospel, accompanied 
with a deep sense of its importance, and a cordial 
acceptance of its gracious proposals ; and so pro- 
ducing the genuine fruits of love and obedience. 

The term believe is of plain and easy import ; so 
well understood that, in common discourse, no one 
pauses a moment to enquire what we mean by it- 
Nor is it imaginable that the sacred writers use 
words, in any other sense than is agreeable with 
their general acceptation : for if they did, the bi- 
ble would be a book absolutely unintelligible. It 
is however certain, that as the scriptures assure 
us that he who believes shall be saved j so they 
speak of some who believe and yet are not saved. 
From whence it follows, either that the term itself 
has two different acceptations, or rather, that the 
faith of the one is accompanied with certain attri- 

• Luke viii. 12, 



116 Inattentive heaeers. 

butts or qualities different from that of tlie other; 
so that though they are both said to believe, their 
real characters are clearly and essentially distin- 
guishable. Now if we will spend a few moments 
in examining the definition of faith just given, we 
shall be enabled to draw the line between the mere 
nominal and the genuine christian, the man who 
believes to no valuable purpose, and him who fee- 
Heves to the saving of the soul.% 

The real Christian believes. But what does he 
believe ? I answer the pure unadulterated gospel ; 
the sum and substance of which is this, that God 
is in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not 
imputing their trespasses unto them :f or, in other 
words, that of his free mercy, for the sake alone of 
what Christ has done and suffered, he pardons,* 
justifies, and saves the believing penitent sinner. 
This plain truth he clearly apprehends, though a 
stranger to a thousand curious questions that have 
been agitated about it. 

But upon what ground does he believe the gos- 
pel ? It is replied, the testimony of God. The ex- 
ternal evidence of Christianity, I mean that of mi- 
racle and prophecy, strikes him upon a general 
view of it as clear and convincing. But if he has 
neither ability or leisure to enter so fully into it as 
others may have, yet that defect is supplied by the 
internal evidence of it, brought home to his own 
perception, reasoning, and experience. He sees 

*Heb.x. 39* i ?Cor.v. 19. 



INATTENTIVE- IIEAKERS. II? 

if is a doctrine according to godliness, tending to 
make men holy ai*d happy ; and he finds that it has 
this effect, in a degree at least, on his own heart : 
and from thence he concludes that it is divine. 
And this I take to be the witness of which the apos- 
tle John speaks :* He that believeth on the son of 
God 9 hath the witness in himself. 

It is natural further, as faith admits of degrees, 
to enquire what degree of assent he yields to the 
gospel ? Not a faint, feeble, wavering assent $ but 
a firm assent, agreeable to the clearness, strength, 
and energy of the evidence. He may indeed be 
assaulted with doubts, nor does he wish to- suppress 
them by unlawful means, such as sound reason con- 
demns. He is open to enquiry, ever ready to fol- 
low where truth shall lead. But his doubts, hav- 
ing had in this case their full effect, serve rather in 
the end to confirm than weaken his faith : just like 
a tree, whose roots have taken fast hold on the 
ground, becomes firmer by being shaken of a 
mighty wind. 

Again, the gospel which he thus believes, he be- 
lieves also to be most important. It is not in his 
apprehension a trifling uuinteresiing matter. On 
the contrary, as it involves in it the most serious 
truths, which affect his well-being both here and 
hereafter; so it rouses his attention, and calls all 
the powers of his soul into action. Like a mau 
whose house is on fire, and is at his wits ends till 

* 1 John y. If.- 



US INATTENTIVE HEARERS. 

he has found means to extinguish it ; or like one 
who lias a large estate depending* and uses every 
effort to get his title to it confirmed; so he treats 
this gospel which he is persuaded is divine. 

His helief too of the gospel is accompanied with 
a cordial approbation of its gracious proposals. 
He readily falls in with that scheme of salvation 
which divine wisdom has contrived, and almighty 
power has carried into effect. At the altar of 
propitiation he is disposed to sacrifice both pride 
and pleasure, and at the feet of the adorable Sa- 
viour fa cast down imaginations? and every high 
iking that exalteth itself against the knowledge rf 
God.* While some, ignorant of God's righteous- 
ness, go about to establish their own rightedkmess? 
he submits himself to the righteousness of Godr 
And while others, under a pretence of doing honour 
to the free grace of God, throw the reins on the 
Beck of their vicious inclinations, it is his object 
to be saved as well from the dominion of sin as 
the guilt of it. To the instructions of Jesus, the 
all-wise prophet of the church, lie devoutly listens : 
mi his sacrifice, as his great high priest, he firmly 
relies; and to his government, as his only right- 
ful sovereign, he cheerfully yields obedience. — - 
Arid from hence it may be naturally concluded* 
that the general course of his life is holy, useful. 
and ornamental. 

*2Cor, x. 5. fKom. x. S. 



INATTENTIVE HEAKERS. 119 

In fine, upon this view of the matter we clearly 
see with what propriety the scriptures affirm, that 
they who believe on the name of Christ are born of 
God;* that faith is the gift of God ;f that it is cf the 
operation of God ;\ ami that it is given nnto lis in the 
behalf of Christ to believe on him.§ So that there 
appears good ground for the natural and usual dis- 
tinction between a mere historical and a, divine 
faith. 

And now if we reverse what has been said § we 
shall plainly see the difference between the two 
characters of tke real and the speculative christian ; 
and how it happens that the latter is said in scrip- 
ture to believe, though he believes not to the saving 
of his soul. 

If it be enquired , then, of the man of this char- 
acter what it is he believes, it will perhaps be found 
that his idea of the gospel is a very mistaken one, 
or however that a great deal of error is mingled 
with the truth. 

Or if this is not the case, and his notions are in 
general agreeable to scripture, yet there is a defect 
in the grounds of his faith. It is not the result of 
impartial enquiry, and a serious regard to the au- 
thority of God ; but of a concurrence of accidental 
circumstances. u The christian religion is the re- 
ligion of his country ; he was born of christian 
parents : his neighbors, friends, and relations are 

* John i. 1?, 13, f Ephes. ii. 8. 

| Col. ii. 12, § Philip, i. 29, 



1£D INATTENTIVE HEARERS, 

of this profession-; and many good and learned men 
have -told him, he may depend upon it the gospel is 
true.** I mean not by this to insinuate, that these 
considerations may not properly create a presump- 
tive evidence in favour of Christianity, and that 
they ought not to serve as inducements to further 
enquiry. But surely a faith that stands on this 
foundation -alone, is not a divine faith, nor that 
faith to which the promise of salvation is so so- 
lemnly made in the New-Testament. 

Further, his assent to what he- calls the gospel, 
though it may have in it all the obstinacy and te- 
ll aciousness of bigotry, is yet destitute of that 
manly firmness which is the result of free examin- 
ation and full conviction. So that his creed, be it 
ever so orthodox, and his zeal for it ever so flam- 
ing; is after all rather his opinion or sentiment^ 
than the matter of his sober and serious belief. 

And then in regard of that deep sense of the im- 
portance of divine truth which always accompa- 
nies a divine faith, he is a perfect stranger to it. 
His character is the reverse of that of the Thessa- 
lonians, to whom the gospel came not in word only, 
hit in power and in the Holy Ghost.* It makes little 
other impression on his heart than that a man re- 
ceives from an idle tale, he hears, and almost in- 
stantly forgets : unless indeed, the eagerness and 
pride of party zeal happens, as was just observed, te 
create in his breast a warm and obstinate attach- 
tnent to his profession. 

*iThcss. i.S, 



iiViTTEXTITS H-E.VREUS, 

To which it must be added, that however through 
various indirect causes or motives he is induced to 
assent to the gospel, he does not heartily fall in with 
its gracious proposals, He neither relies entirely 
on Christ as his Saviour, renouncing all merit of 
his own ; nor yet cordially submits to his authori- 
ty, approving of all his commands.as most holy, just, 
and good. — And from hence it is to be concluded 
that his external conduct, in regard of humility, 
meekness, temperance, benevolence, and the other 
christian graces, hath in it little to distinguish him 
from the rest of mankind. 

Thus have we contrasted the two characters of 
the real, and the merely nominal christian ; the man 
who believes to the saving of the soul, and him who 
though lie may be said to believe, y^i believes not 
to any salutary or valuable purpose. And hence, 
I think, we may collect a just idea of the nature 
and properties of saving faith. 

And now, Sirs, let us examine ourselves upon 
tliis important question. We have heard the gos- 
pel. Have we believed it ? Have we received it in 
the love of it? And' are our hearts and lives influ- 
enced and governed by it? We know not what 
true faith is, if the; great concerns of religion do 
not strike us as infinitely more interesting and im- 
portant than the most weighty affairs of the prec 
life; if we do not feel and acki ilt, 

depravity, and weakness; if we do riot most cheer- 
fully entrust our everlasting concern to the hands 
of Jesus Christ, as our only saviour, and 

I I L - 



1£2 INATTENTIVE HEABERg* 

and if it is not our ardent desire to conform to his 
will, and to copy after his example* And how de- 
plorable will our condition be, should we at last 
be found in a state of unbelief and sin ! But I hope 
better things of you, Sirs, and things that accom- 
pany salvation, though I thus speak. There are 
many, I trust, among us who do believe in the 
sense of the New Testament. Give me leave, my 
friends, to congratulate you on your happiness : 
while at the same time I tenderly sympathize with 
those who are weak in faith; but who yet, amidst 
all their doubts and fears, join issue with him in the 
gospel, who cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I 
believe, help thou my unbelief.* Let us now from 
this account of faith go on, 

SECONDLY, To speak of the salvation promis- 
ed to them that believe. 

Here a scene the most delightful and transport- 
ing opens to our view $ a scene, the contemplation 
of which in the present life fills the christian with 
admiration and wonder, but will overwhelm him 
with ecstasy and joy in the world to come. But 
we can only glance at it in this discourse. Gen- 
eral, however, and imperfect as our account of it 
must be, it will serve to shew the indispensable ne- 
cessity of faith, and of consequence the importance 
of giving earnest heed toJlie things we hear, lest at 
any time we should let them slip. 

Now this salvation, whether we consider it in re- 
ference to the evils we escape, or the opposite good 

* Mark ix. 24. 



to which we become entitled, is most, glorious in- 
I. It infinitely surpasses every thing we read 
I history. What was the deliverance of the Is- 
raelites out of Egypt, their protection and support 
through the s, and their conquest of Ca- 

naan, with the freedom* prosperity, arid happiness 
f enjoyed there : what, 1 say, were those events* 
however splendid and miraculous, but imperfect 
shadows, faint preludes, of that great salvation 
wrought out for us by Jesus the Son of God ! 
It is a salvation from moral, natural, and penal 
evil in their utmost extent; and that followed with 
the enjoyment of positive blessedness in its highest 
perfection. 

1. It is a salvation from moral evil. 

The soul of man is the workmanship of God, 
and in its construction the skill and power of the 
great architect is wonderfully displayed. But 
alas ! this temple of the living God, once honoured 
with his presence, is now laid in ruins. Sin, with 
a long train of miseries, has entered the heart and 
taken possession of it. It has darkened the under- 
standing, perverted tlie judgment, enslaved the 
will, and polluted the affections. It has dethron- 
ed reason, brought a load of guilt upon the con- 
science, created a thousand painful anxieties and 
fears in the breast, and spread universal anarchy 
through the soul. 

Now from ail these evils w T e are saved by our 
Lord Jesus Christ. He procures for us the free 
pardon of our sins, reinstates us upon equitable 



t&4- .ItfATTJEN.TITii HE A REUS. 

grounds ia the favour of our offended Sovereign,, 
and sends down his good Spirit into our hearts, to 
renew our nature and" make us meet for heaven. 
His doctrine illuminates the benighted mind, re- 
stores peace to the troubled conscience, gives a new 
bent to the will, and directs the passions to their 
proper objects. What a blessed change is this! 
But the salvation thus begun arrives not to perfec- 
tion in the present life. Light and darkness, faith 
and unbelief, hope and fear, joy- and sorrow, are 
here blended together. And hence the errors, fol- 
lies, and sins which the best of men are chargeable 
with, and which they so pungently lament at the 
feet of divine mercy. 

Death, however, the friend not the enemy of the 
believer, shall set the captive soul at liberty, and 
restore the immortal spirit to its primitive recti- 
tude and purity. At that happy moment the 
•christian shall be freed from all remains of igno- 
rance, imperfection, and sin. No evil thought, no 
vain imagination, no irregular desire shall ever any 
more afflict his heart, or disturb his devotion. His 
intellectual faculties shall become capable of the 
noblest exertions, and his affections be unalterably 
fixed to the Supreme Good. The image of the 
blessed God shall be fully delineated on his soul, 
and in the contemplation and fruition of that great 
Being he shall be employed to all eternity. Thus 
the salvation, begun here in sadness and sorrow, 
shall be finally completed in everlasting happi 
and glory. —A? 



INATTENTIVE HEARERS* 125 

% It is a salvation from natural evil. 

Many and great are the miseries of an outward 
kind to which human nature is liable in the pre- 
sent life. This is a fact not to he denied : proofs 
arise from every quarter. If we look into the his- 
tories of former times, we shall find the greater 
part of them employed in relating the calamities 
winch have befallen nations and public bodies of 
men j the ravages of war, and the devastations oc- 
casioned by fire, tempest, earthquake, pestilence, 
and famine. If we go abroad into the world 
among the various orders of mankind, our atten- 
tion will every now and then be arrested, and 
our sympathetic feelings excited, by scenes of dis- 
tress too painful to be particularly described- 
families sinking into all the wretchedness of po- 
verty — parents following their own children to the 
grave — widows pouring their unavailing tears 
over their helpless offspring — here a friend depriv- 
ed of his reason and his liberty, and there another 
languishing on a bed of sickness and death. No 
wonder these, and many other calamities we are 
the witnesses of, cast a gloom over our counte- 
nances, and embitter our pleasan test erjoyments. 
And then if we consider our own frame, the mate- 
rials of which these tabernacles are composed, the 
disastrous accidents we are subject to, those; harbin- 
' gers of death, sickness and pain, which are con- 
tinually advancing towards us, and death itself 
with the many distressing circumstance's that often 
accompany it 3 when, I say, we consider these 



*•£» inattentive hearers* 

things, we can hardly avoid crying out in the lan- 
guage of the afflicted patriarch, Man that is born 
of a woman, is of few days and full of trouble.* 

Now from all these miseries, the sad effects of 
sin, the Lord Jesus Christ came into the world t® 
save us. Not that good men are exempted from 
the common afflictions of life. Poverty, sickness, 
and death they are liable to as well as others. But 
none of these calamities befall them in the man- 
ner they do the wicked. From curses they are 
converted into blessings, and for Christ's sake 
they become salutary chastisements, instead of 
vindictive judgments. If their heavenly Father 
corrects them, it is that they may be partakers of 
his holiness ; nor does he fail to provide them with 
all needful supports under their afflictions. And 
they are assured, that however death, the greatest 
of all natural evils, is not to be avoided ; yet it 
shall do them no harm. Nor are we without many 
glorious instances of those who through the faith 
of the gospel, have triumphed over the king of ter- 
rors while executing his last commission upon 
them. With the apostle, in the most herois 
strains, they have thus challenged the last enemy, 
death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy 
victory ? The sting of death is sin, and the strength 
ef sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who giv- 
eth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.j 

But let us extend our views to the heavenly 
world, where the promise of salvation, as it relates 
* Job xiv. 1. f 1 Cor, xv, 55, o6 s 57* 



Itf ATTENTIVE HSARERS. I9T 

to natural evils, shall receive its full accomplish- 
ment. When the Israelites entered the good land, 
they ceased from their labours, and enjoyed all 
that tranquillity and happiness they had so long ex- 
pected. In like manner, There remaineih also a 
rest to the people of God.* When the journey of 
life is ended, there will be an end to all the pains, 
fatigues, and dangers of it. We shall no more en- 
dure any of those miseries we have been describ- 
ing, or be sad spectators of the sorrows and 
sufferings of others. In that happy world there is 
not one aching heart, not one weeping eye, not one 
complaining tongue. As the stones that compos- 
ed the temple at Jerusalem, were hewn and pre- 
pared before they were brought thither : that the 
noise of a hammer might not be heard through 
out the building : so the painful exercises of the pre 
sent life, whereby good men are made meet for 
heaven, having had their full effect, will for ever 
cease, and no sound will be heard there but the 
voice of joy and gladness. And on the morning of 
the resurrection, the body, roused from the slum- 
bers of the grave, and fashioned like unto the glo- 
rious body of Christ, shall be reunited to the im- 
mortal spirit j and in that happy union enjoy unin- 
terrupted health and vigour to all eternity. — We 
have now only to add, in order to complete our ac- 
count of this salvation, that it is, 
3. A deliverance also from penal evil. 

1 Hebrews iv, 9^ 



128 INATTENTIVE HEAKERS. 

Indeed the evils just described may very proper- 
ly 1) penal, as they are the effects of 
sin 9 ;ions of the just displeasure of hea- 
ven against thfem. Bet what I have here in view 
is, the punishment to be inflicted on the wicked in. 
the world to come, and the joys prepared for the 
righteous among the blessed above. It is but a 
general account we can now give of these two 
states; a transient glance, however, at the one 
and the other will suffice to convince us, that the 
salvation promised to them that believe is infinitely 
great and glorious. 

The scriptures, in order to awaken the attention 
of mankind to their future and everlasting inter- 
ests^ have given us the most alarming description 
of the punishment prepared for the impenitent and 
UHgodly J They assure us, that the anger of the 
Lord, and his jealousy shall smoke against them r% 
that he will rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an 
horrible tempest upon them :f that they shall be des- 
troyed for ever :% that they shall eat of the fruit of 
their own way, and befitted with their own devices:^ 
that they shall awake to shame and everlasting con,- 
temjjl:}] that, not having brougJit forth good fruit, 
they shall be hewn down, and cast into the fire ;^ 
that they shall be cast into outer darkness, where is 
weeping and gnashing of teeth : a and that they shall 
go axvay into everlasting puivishmentJ 1 These, and 

* Dent. xxjx. 20. f Ps - xl - 5 > 6 * I Ps * xxx ™- 3S * 
§ Prov. I . || Dan. xii.~2. % Mat. iii. 10. ' 

a Mat. viii. 12, h Mat. xxv. 46. 



INATTENTIVE HEARERS* 

many other expressions of the like import, are 
meant to convey some idea to oar minds of the 
extreme anguish of the damned : stript of all the 
comforts they here enjoyed and abused ; shut up 
in the prison of hell, with spirits of the same 
fierce and malevolent dispositions as themselves; 
abandoned to the reproaches of their own self-/ 
accusing consciences; and oppressed with the most 
tremendous sense of the indignation of that great 
Being, whom they still continue to hate, but feel 
themselves utterly unable to resist. Who knoweth 
the power of thine anger, O Lord ? ere en according 
to thy fear, so is thy wrath.* But from all these 
miseries, the deplorable effects of impenitence and 
unbelief, our great Emmanuel saves us. There is 
now no condemnation to them that are in Christ 
Jesus :f for he hath redeemed us from the curse of 
the law, being made a curse for us.i But more 
than this — 

To the miseries we have been describing are to 
be opposed the joys and triumphs of heaven. The 
christian at death, freed from all moral pollution 
and restored to his primitive rectitude, as we have 
shewn under a former head, is admitted into the 
immediate presence of God and the glorious socie^ 
ty of the blessed. There he is ever employed in 
contemplating the divine excellencies in all their 
perfection, in beholding the adorable Jesus, his Sa- 
viour and Friend, in all his mediatorial glory, and in 

* Psalm xc. 11, fRom. \ul 1, Gal. ul 't$. 



so 



INATTENTIVE HEARERS. 



conversing with an innumerable company of an 
and spirits of just men made perfect. And oh! 
what tongue can describe, what imagination con- 
ceive, the transporting joys he feels resulting from 
the most intimate union with the great fountain -of 
all good, and the most perfect sense of his favour 
and love impressed on his heart? In thy presence f 
says David, is fulness of joy, at thy right hand are 
pleasures j or evermore** 

Such then- is the salvation promised to them that 
believe*. Oh f how should our hearts exult, while 
our ears are saluted with these blessed tidings! — 
guilt pardoned—innocence retrieved— the image of 
Gad restored — the powers of sin and death van* 
flushed — spul and body made for ever happy and 
glorious — and all this effected at an expense that 
neither men nor angels can compute. But I for- 
.bear.— Some notice must now he taken, 

THIRDLY, of the connexion between faith and 
salvation. It is necessary, in order to our being 
saved, that we believe. Now this necessity arises 
out of the divine appointment, and the reason and 
nature of the thing. 

1. It is the will of God, that those who arc 
saved should believe. 

His pleasure in this matter he has signified to 
us in language the most plain and decisive. €fad 
so loved the world, says our Lord to Nicodemus,;- 
lhat he gave his only begotten son, that whose 



&almxvi. 11. 



t J°hn 



IX ATTENTIVE HSAR5RS. 131 

believeth in him should not perish, but have everiast~ 
ing life. And when he commands his apostles, as 
he was ascending up into heaven, to go into all 
the world and preach the gospel to every creature ; 
he adds,* He that believeth and is baptized, shall 
be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned* 
The authority of the blessed God to dictate to us 
in any case, is unquestionable ; but more especial- 
ly in a matter so interesting to us as this, and in 
Which the riches of his mercy and love are so 
wonderfully displayed. Nor is it a mere arbitra- 
ry command, but the result of infinite wisdom and 
goodness, as we shall presently see. In the mean 
time, it is to be remarked of many temporal sal- 
vations recorded in the bible, which were presages 
of that more glorious one we are discoursing of, 
that they who were to be benefitted by these ex- 
traordinary interpositions of divine providence, 
were required to believe. When the Israelites ap- 
proached the Red Sea, under the most tremendous 
apprehensions of the event, mountains rising on 
cither side of them, and an enraged enemy in their 
rear, Moses commands them to stand still, and see 
the salvation of the Lord, that is, to believe.f When 
the brazen serpent was lifted up in the wilderness, 
for the healing those who had been bitten of the 
fiery-flying serpents ; proclamation was made 
through the camp, that whoever looked to it, that 
is, believed, should live.\ And when Jehoshaphat 

* Mark xvi. 16, f Exod, sh, 13, * Num. xxi, 8, 9, 



1M inattentive hearers* 

led out his troops against a far more numerous 
'host of enemies, assured that God would by a 
miraculous interposition subdue them; lie com- 
mands the people, as Moses had done i?i the in- 
stance just mentioned, to stand still, and see the 
salvation of the Lord: adding, Believe in the Lord 
your God, so shall you he established ; believe his 
prophets, so shall ye prosper. %- Nor is it to be for- 
- got, *that our Lord Jesus Christ, when here on 
earth, required faith of them upon whose bodies 
lie wrought miraculous cures : which cures afford- 
ed a lively emblem, and a happy omen, of those 
more noble cures his gospel is adapted to effect on 
the souls of men. — But, 

jj. There is a fitness or suitableness in faith to 
the end of its appointment, so that the necessity 
of it arises out of the nature of the thing itself. 

If God of his infinite mercy is disposed to save 
us, and has assured us of this by a message from 
heaven, authenticated by the clearest evidence ; it 
is no doubt our interest and duty to listen to the 
message and give full credit to it. If he has sent 
no -less a person than his own Son into the world 
to redeem us and make us happy, and if he pos- 
sesses all necessary powers to accomplish that 
great and good design ; it is surely most lit and 
reasonable that we should confide in him, and ex- 
ercise all those regards towards him which his va- 
rious characters and offices demand. No sober 

# 2 Chrop. xx. 151 20. 



i 



'^ATTENTIVE HEABEKS. 1JS 

Ifcan who contemplates faith, accompanied with 
those dispositions and affections necessary to con- 
stitute a real christian, can pronounce it an unrea- 
sonable and useless thing. But what I have here 
principally to observe is, that the great blessings 
of the gospel cannot be enjoyed without the medi- 
um of faith. It is true indeed, sin is atoned, sa- 
tan vanquished, and the gates of heaven opened to 
us, and all this by means we had no concern in 
devising or carrying into effect. But then the ac- 
tual possession of the good thus procured for us, is 
as necessary as an equitable title to it. And how 
is that good to be possessed without a temper of 
heart suited to the enjoyment of it ? And how is 
this temper to be acquired but by believing ? Here 
I might shew you the concern which faith has in 
the conversion of a sinner to God, and in all those 
exercises of the mind and heart whereby he is 
gradually prepared for the heavenly blessedness : 
at the same time observing, that neither faith it- 
self, nor any of those pious affections or good 
works which spring from it, have any meritorious 
influence in his salvation. But our present design 
will not allow us to enter any further into this 
subject. 

Thus have we considered the nature of faith, 
described the salvation promised to it, and shewn 
the connexion between the one and the other. Let 
us now return to the argument in the text. 

Satan clearly perceiving the influence of faith in 
the great business of salvation, and well knowing 

12 



1S4 



INATTENTIVE IIEABERS. 



too that faith comes by hearing; uses all those ar- 
tifices mentioned in the former sermon to divert 
men's attention from the word, and to prevent its 
salutary effect upon their hearts* He catches it 
away, lest they should believe and be saved. As in 
the beginning he seduced our first parents from 
their allegiance to God, in order to deprive them 
of the happiness they enjoyed j so he now uses his 
Utmost endeavour to counteract the measures de- 
vised for the salvation of their posterity. Glad 
would he be to precipitate the whole human race 
into the same abyss of darkness and misery with 
himself, and no means within his power will he 
leave untried in order to compass his malevolent 
purpose. 

Suffer me then, O ye careless hearers of the 
word, to remind you a moment of the awful con- 
sequences of that impenitence and unbelief in 
which he wishes to confirm you, by all the arts he 
uses to dissuade you from attention and considera- 
tion. 

If ye will oppose the clear evidence of the gos- 
pel, and shut your ears against its loud calls and 
gracious invitations ; if ye will listen to the false 
reasonings of him who was a liar from the begin- 
ning, and reject the salutary admonitions of Christ 
and his apostles j if ye will tread tinder foot the Son 
of God, and count the blood of the covenant an unho- 
ly thing ; and if ye \a ill, notwithstanding all the 
>»emonstrances of reason and conscience, do despite 
utfto the Spirit of grace : ye must endure the pun- 



INATTENTIVE HEAKERS. 13 J 

ishment due to such accumulated guilt and horrid 
ingratitude. There remains no more sacrifice for 
sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment 
and fiery indignation which shall devour the adver- 
saries.* The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from 
heaven, with his mighty angels, in faming fire, 
taking vengeance, on them thai know not God, and 
that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ 
Who shall be punished with everlasting destmction 
from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of 
his power.] Consider, consider these things j 
and the Lord give you understanding. 

It now remains that we make two or xkree re- 
flections on the general subject of this discourse. 

1. If satan takes the measures you have heard 
to prevent the success of the gospel, and to con- 
firm men in impenitence and unbelief; how truly 
is he denominated by our Saviour the wicked one? 
and how righteous is that sentence which will 
shortly be executed upon him ! 

Every step we have taken in our account of the 
methods by which he deludes that class of hearers 
we are discoursing of, establishes the evidence that 
has been deduced from scripture of his malevo- 
lence. What can be more horridly cruel and ma- 
lignant than to lay every possible snare to beguile 
the ignorant*, and practise upon all the depraved 
passions of pride and pleasure to ruin the thought- 
less 5 to throw every imaginable obstruction in the 

• Heb, *. 26—31, f 2 Thes, i. R 8, 9, 



156 XlsT ATTENTIVE HBABEIIS* 

way of meirs attending to their best interests, ami 
excite in their breasts every unreasonable preju- 
dice against the only means of salvation,* and to 
pursue these measures uniformly in every age and 
country where the gospel is preached, flattering 
"himself with the hope of alleviating his own misery 
by precipitating others into endless perdition ! Yea* 
so determined is this miserable enemy upon carry- 
ing Ills infernal purposes into effect, that one of hi& 
machinations, and' not the least is, to persuade 
men that his existence is a mere chimera ; or how* 
ever if he does exist, that he has it not in his pow- 
er to tempt them, and therefore is not chargeable 
with that guilt which entitles him to the denomi- 
nation of the wicked one. What a monster of ini- 
quity! If the character of a seducer among men 
is held in detestation, how much more detestabla 
is the character of this arch-seducer ! If it is the. 
voice of all that a murderer should not live, what 
tenfold vengeance is he deserving of who has been 
a murderer from the beginning? and has slain his 
thousands of thousands ! Well ! the day is coming 
when the devil mho thus deceived the children of 
2Bcn shall be cast inta the lake of fire and brimstone^ 
and be tormented day and nightjar even And then 
shall be heard a great voice of much people in heaven, 
shying, hallelujah, salvation, and glory, and honour* 
and power unto the Lord our God: for true (tn& 
pighiemis are his judgments.* 



IXiTTEXTIVE HEARERS. 1SJ 

£• How much is it to be lamented, that men will 
suffer themselves to be deceived and ruined by the 
devices of this great adversary ! 

Permit us, O ye thoughtless inconsiderate hear- 
ers of the word, to expostulate with you a moment. 
The compassionate Jesus, who came to seek and 
to save that which was lost, has deigned himself 
to apprize you of your danger, and at the same 
time taken care to let you know, that, subtle and 
powerful as this enemy is, he cannot carry his 
point without your consent. Your danger is great, 
and the rather as your nature is depraved, and 
you are surrounded with a thousand snares of 
which satan knows how to make his advantage. 
But do not excuse yourselves of blame, by plead- 
ing your incompetence to resist so mighty an ad- 
versary. To be tempted is not your sin, but it is 
your sin to comply with the temptation. You may, 
you can, you ought to be on your guard. Indis- 
posed as you are to attend to your best interests, 
you are capable of .hearing us, and of considering 
the force of our reasonings. 

Why, O why will ye thrust all these things 
from your minds ? Should what we say prove to 
be true, what an addition will it be to your misery 
to reflect, in the great day of account, that your 
heart despised reproof, and that you would not in- 
cline your ear to them that instructed you ! Real- 
ize that day. Be persuaded that it will come. It 
is however not yet come. Now, now is the accept- 
ed time, now is the day of salvation. The truths 



1:38 INATTENTIVE HEARERS. 

we preach may be painful to you, and to urge thei£ 
upon you merely for the sake of giving you pain, 
would be cruel. But if the attentive consideration 
of them will be salutary to you, (and. we firmly 
believe that such is their tendency) can you won^ 
der that we are importunate with you ? Make the 
trial. If you never before listened to a sermon, 
O be persuaded to listen to this ! Carry it away 
with you. Revolve it in your mind. Examine 
what we have said by the tests of impartial reason 
and the sacred scriptures. And, bowing your 
Jknee at the feet of the great God, earnestly be- 
seech him, for Christ's sake, to assist you in your 
conflicts with this subtle adversary, and the de- 
ceitful reasonings of your own hearts. You have 
©very imaginable encouragement so to do. And 
should you succeed, how glorious will your tri- 
umph be over sin and the powers of darkness ! 

3. And lastly, Let us admire and adore the 
grace of God which defeats the designs of satan, 
and makes the word effectual upon the hearts of 
multitudes, notwithstanding all the opposition it 
meets with. 

Many a one who has been induced to hear the 
gospel by motives of mere curiosity, has neverthe- 
less received salutary and abiding impressions 
from it. He has entered the assembly with a 
thoughtless and dissipated mind, and has gone 
away with a heart deeply affected with his everlast- 
ing concerns. The providence of God in so dis* 
gosing external circumstances as that such persons 



INATTENTIVE HEADERS. l$$ 

should hear the word, and the grace of God in set- 
ting it home with energy on their hearts, cannot 
be enough devoutly acknowledged and gracefully 
remembered. Nor is there an instance of any one, 
savingly benefitted by the instructions and invi- 
tations of the gospel, who will not readily admit 
the truth of what the apostle asserts, that as it is 
our duty to work out oar salvation with fear and 
trembling, so it is God that worketh in us to xvill 
and to do of his good pleasure.* — And how very 
pleasing to think, that, however in too many sad in- 
stances ministers have occasion to complain, Wh® 
hath believed our report, and to whom is the arm of 
the Lord revealed? 'f the day is hastening on, when au 
infinite multitude shall acknowledge with hosannas 
of the loudest praise, that the word of the kingdom^ 
though treated by many with indifference and con- 
tempt, was the power of God to their everlasting, 
salvation ! 

* Philip ii 13, 13, t isa. EH. p 



DISCOURSE III. 

The character of enthusiastic hearers earn 
sidered. 



PART X, 

Matt. xiii. 5, 6, 

Some fell upon stony places, where they had not mucfc 
earth : and forthwith they sprung up, because they 
had no deepness of earth. And when the sun was up> 
they were scorched, and because they had not rooty, 
they withered away* 

UUR Saviour's view in this parable is, to lay 
©pen the principles, motives, and conduct of the va- 
rious sorts of persons who hear the gospel. The 
characters he draws are four — the inattentive 

- — the ENTHUSIASTIC the WORLDiY-MINDED — 

the sincere. The first of these we have consider- 
ed, and proceed now, 

SECONDLY, to the enthusiastic, or those up- 
on whom to appearance the word has an instanta- 
neous and mighty effect, but who yet reap no real 
advantage from it 



ENTHUSIASTIC HEARERS. 141 

The temper and conduct of these persons are 
strikingly represented in the text, which our Sa- 
viour thus expounds:^ He thai received the seed 
into stony places, the same is he that heareth the ivord, 
and anon with joy receiveth it : yet hath he not root m 
himself, but durethfor a while: for when tribulation 
or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by 
he is offended, Here are four things to be distinct- 
ly considered, 

I. The character of these hearers, previous to 
their hearing the word : 

II. The effect it instantly produces on their 
minds : 

III. Their failure afterwards : and, 

IV. The cause of their apostacy. We begin, 

I. With the character of these hearers previous 
to their hearing the word. 

They are compared to stony or rocky ground,f 
which is unfavourable to cultivation ; but yet has a 
little mould or earth cast over it, suited to receive 
seed, in which it may lodge a while and dissemi- 
nate itself. So that this ground is partly bad and 
partly good. And thus are very aptly described 
the miserably perverse and depraved state of the 
will, on the one hand, and the warmth and live- 
liness of the natural passions, on the other. These 
qualities often meet in one and the same person, 
and bear a different aspect t© religion, the one 
being unfavourable and the other favourable 
t& it. 

* v. 20,21* f Luke viiL6& 



;142 ENTHUSIASTIC HEARERS'. 

1. It is true of these hearers that their will is 
wretchedly depraved. 

Stone is a figure used in scripture to signify the 
obstinate aversion of the mind to what is holy and 
good. So Ezckiel speaks of a stony heart, in oppo- 
sition to a heart of flesh;* and Paul of the living 
epistles of Christ being written not on tables of 
stone, but fleshy tables of the heart, j There is iri 
persons of this character a certain prejudice 
against serious religion, which perversely resists 
all reasonings, expostulations and persuasions re- 
specting it. Their carnal minds are enmity against 
God , for they are not subject to the law of God, nei- 
ther indeed can ie.\ Their words are stout against 
God.§ They say, Who is the Lord that we should 
obey his voice ?\\ What is the Almighty that we 
should serve ldm.% We will not hare God to reign 
over us. a We will walk after our own devices, and 
we will every one do the imagination of his evil 
heart. 6 Thus they make their faces harder than a 
rocks and their hearts as an adamant stone lest they 
should hear the law. d They are stiff-hearted, rebel- 
lious, and impudent ; e not only alienated from the 
life of God, but in some instances, past feeling./ 

What a miserable state of the human mind is this ! 
Hearts thus set on iniquity, and thus unyielding to 

* Ezek. xxx vi. 25, f ? Cor. iii. 3. J Rom. viii. 7. 

% Mai. iii, 13. |j Exod v. 2. % Job xxi. 15.- 

a Luke xix. 14< b . er. xviii. 12. c ;er. v. 3. 

d Zech. viio t\ e. Ezek. ii. 3,A / Eph. iv. 18, 19 



ENTHUSIASTIC HEARERS. 14 S 

the dictates of conscience, providence, and the 
scriptures ; may well be compared to stony 9 flinty, 
rocky ground. There are indeed degrees of depravi- 
ty, and some men through sinful indulgence become 
more stupid than others ; so that their consciences 
are said to be seared with a hot iron.* But it is 
true of all, while in a natural state, that their will 
is averse to that which is good. They do not with 
their mind serve God, and they will not come unto 
Christ that they may have life. Wherefore the 
figurative language of the text applies to the sort of 
hearers we are now discoursing of, in common 
with all others in an unrenewed state. — And yet, 
with all this depravity of the will, they have, 

2. Warm and lively passions : a circumstance 
in itself not a little favourable to religion. 

This is admirably expressed by the earth or 
mould said to be cast over the rock, which was 
of a nature so rich and luxuriant that the seed in- 
stantly mingled with it, and expanding sprung up 5 
and created a beautiful verdure which promised 
great fruitfulness. Nothing was wanting to pro- 
duce the desired effect, but a sufficient depth of 
earth. Had the ground at bottom been properly 
cultivated, this fine mould cast upon it would have 
assisted and forwarded vegetation : but that re- 
maining hard and rocky, this had only a tempora- 
ry effect, and served little other purpose than to 
deceive the expectation of the husbandman. 

*lTim. iv. 2. 



144 ENTHUSIASTIC HEARERS. 

Such is truly the case in the matter before us* 
The heart, like the stony ground, is indisposed to 
what is good ; and the affections, like the earth cast 
over it, are warm and lively: wherefore the word 
not entering into the former, and yet mingling 
with the latter, produces no real fruit, but only 
the gay and splendid appearance of an external 
profession. And here it is further to be remark- 
ed, that however the passions are of excellent 
tise in religion, if the heart be right with God ; 
yet, this not being the case, their influence is rather 
pernicious than salutary: indeed the more eager 
and impetuous the natural temper, the greater evil 
- is in this case to be apprehended from it, both to 
the man himself, and to those with whom he is 
connected. As to himself, mistaking the warm 
efforts of mere passion for real religion, he instant- 
ly concludes that he is without doubt a real chris- 
tian, and so is essentially injured by the imposition 
lie puts upon himself. Aud then his extravagant 
expressions of rapturous zeal, which having the 
colour of exalted piety strike the eyes of observers 
with admiration, like the pleasing verdure on the 
stony ground ; these in the end, through his apos- 
tacy, bring a foul reproach upon religion, and so 
deeply wound the hearts of all the real friends of it. 
And from this view of the subject we see what it is 
distinguishes these hearers from those considered 
in the former discourse : it is the different temper- 
ature of their animal spirits and passions. They 
are both alike indisposed to real religion, but those 



EKl^tttJSlASTIG HEAMllS. 145 

are cool and reserved, these eager and violent. And 
jt often happens that the former have a good deal 
©f natural understanding and sagacity, whilst the 
latter ar<* remarkable for their weakness and ere* 
dulity. m 

But it will be proper, before we pass on ,%) ex- 
amine more particularly the character of the enthu- 
siast. He has a lively imagination, but no judg- 
ment to correct it ; and warm feelings, but neither 
wisdom nor resolution to controul them. Struck 
With appearances, he instantly admits the reality 
if things without allowing himself time to enquire 
into their nature, evidence, and tendency. And 
impressions thus received, whether from objects 
presented to the senses or representations made to 
the fancy, produce a mighty and instantaneous ef- 
fect on his passions. These agitate his w hole frame, 
and precipitate him into action, without any inter- 
vening consideration, reflection, or prospect. And 
Iiis actions, under the impulse of a heated imagina- 
tion, are either right or wrong, useful or pernicious, 
just as the notions he has thus hastily adopted hap- 
pen to be conformable to truth or error. So we 
shall see the countenance of a man of this complex- 
ion kindling into rapture and ecstacy at the idea 
of something new and marvellous; a flood of tears 
streaming down his cheeks at the representation 
of some moving scene of distress; his face turning 
pale and his limbs trembling at the apprehension 
of some impending danger; his whole frame dis- 
torted with rage at the hearing of some instance of 

13 



146 ENTHUSIASTIC HEAREES. 

cruelty ; and his eye sparkling with joy in the pros- 
pect of some fancied bliss. Nor is it to be won- 
dered that one who is wholly at the mercy of these 
passions, without the guidance of a sober under- 
standing and the controul of a well-disposed heart; 
shoulij, as is often the case, break out into loud and 
clamorous language, assume the most frantic ges^ 
tures and be guilty of the most strange and extra- 
vagant actions. 

Such then is the character of the persons des- 
cribed in our text previous to their hearing the 
word. Their hearts, like the stony ground, are 
hard, uncultivated, and indisposed to what is truly 
good; and yet they possess lively imaginations and 
warm passions, which, like the jine mould upon the 
rock, would be of excellent use in the great busi- 
ness of religion, if it were not for this other essen- 
tial defect. We proceed therefore, 

II. To consider the effect which the word in- 
stantly produces on the minds of these persons, as 
our Saviour has admirably described it. 

The seed that fell on the stony ground forthwith 
sprung up, that is, as our Lord expounds it, he 
heareth the word, and anon with joy reeeiveth it. 
Here, keeping in our eye the character just drawn, 
there are three things to be considered — his receiv- 
ing the word — his receiving it immediately, as 
Mark has it,— and. his receiving it with joy. From 
this account one would be apt at first view to con- 
clude, that this man is without doubt a real chris- 
tian ; but the event proves the contrary. Where- 



ENTHUSIASTIC HEARERS, 147 

fore" it will be necessary to examine very atten- 
tively these three "particulars. 

1. He receives the word. 

Receiving is a figurative terra, and may here he 
explained of what is the consequence of admitting 
any doctrine to be true, that is, the professing it. 
It is indeed used in scripture to signify faith itself. 
•As many as received him, to them gave he power to 
become (he sons of God, even to them that believe on 
his name.* Jls ye have received Christ Jesus the. 
Lord, so walk ye in him,f Nor is there any incon- 
venience in understanding it here of faith. For 
the hearers our Lord here speaks of do believe, 
and indeed Luke says so expressly. £ In like man- 
ner Simon and many others in scripture are said 
to believe, who yet were not real christians. 

Now as faith has the promise of salvation an- 
nexed to it, and as some believe who yet are not 
saved, a distinction becomes necessary : and the 
common one of an historical and a divine faith is 
easy and natural. It respects, as we have shewn 
at large in a former sermon, the degree of assent 
which the mind gives to the truth, the grounds of 
it, the temper with which it is accompanied, the 
effects it produces, and the influence which brings 
it into existence. The man whose faith is merely 
historical, gives only a feeble assent to the truth : 
his faith is little more than opinion : he believes 
what is told him, just as I should believe a story 

* John i. 12. f CoL ii. 6. i Luke viii, 14. 



'148 ENTHUSIASTIC HEARERS* 

of some trifling matter that had happened at a di's- 
wherein I am no way concerned. Or if he will in- 
sist, that his assent to what he calls the gospel, is 
firm and genuine j yet his notion of the gospel has 
perhaps a great of error mingled with it. And 
then, he receives it not upon the divine testimony, 
©r a clear perception of the internal and external 
evidence of it; but upon the confident assertions of 
others, whose eagerness and zeal, expressed by 
their loud voice and violent gesture, have a mighty 
effect upon that credulity we spoke of under thfc 
former head. Further, his faith is not cordial : it 
lias not the hearty approbation of his judgment 
and will. Nor does it produce the kindly and ac- 
ceptable fruits of love and obedience. Yet it is no£ 
without its effects, for being of that enthusiastic 
turn of mind before described, his imagination and 
Dassions have a great influence on his profession. 
Whence those strong appearances of sincerity* eaiv 
uestness, and zeal whereby he imposes upon him- 
self and others. Now he loudly affirms he believes, 
scarcely admitting that man to be a christian who 
at all hesitates. Then he treats cool reasoning and 
calm reflection as inimical to religion. And so 
goes on to pronounce the charge of hypocrisy upon 
all who fall not in exactly with his notions, and are 
not as eagre in the defence of them as himself. 
Come see, says he w r ith Jehu, my %eal for the Lord 
of hosts.* — In such sense do these hearers of whom 

f 2 Kings x. 16, 



ENTHUSIASTIC HEARERS. 14& 

Gfur Saviour speaks in the text, receive the word. 
And if we reverse the character thus drawn, we 
shall have a clear idea of- him who receives the 
truth in the love of it, and who believes to the sav- 
ing of his soul: remembering at the same time, 
that as saving faith has divine truth for its object, 
so it rises into existence through the influence of 
divine grace. 

2. He receives the word immediately* 
The seed is said in the text to spring up forth- 
with* and so the idea may respect the quickness of 
the vegetation. But Mark applies the term imme- 
diately to the reception of the word. And indeed 
it is true both of the reception and the operation of 
it. He receives it not obliquely or circuitously 
but straitly or directly, as the word signifies.^ It 
is no sooner spoken than it is admitted to be true. 
A certain predilection in favour of the speaker, his 
eagerness and positivity, and many other acciden- 
tal circumstances beget assent — immediate assent 
to what he has no clear conception of, and the evi- 
dence of which he gives himself no time to consider. 
He is not embarrassed, as we said before, with any 
the least doubt, nor does he feel himself disposed 
to hesitate, reflect, or compare what he thus hasti- 
ly and confusedly hears with the scriptures of truth. 
So, without either his judgment being informed or 
his will renewed, he is impetuously carried away 
with a mere sound j his affections are get afloat ; 

* Eutheos, 

13* 



150 ENTHUSIASTIC HEAHERS. 

and his passions wrought up, he knows not how> 
into a wild ferment, the effect of which as instant- 
ly appears in his countenance, gesture, and con- 
duct He professes the truth, becomes a flaming 
defender of it, and out-strips all around him in acts 
of intemperate zeal, as hastily and inconsiderate- 
ly done as the word was hastily and inconside- 
rately received. So his conversion is considered 
by himself and some other weak people as instan- 
taneous, and on that account not only extraordi- 
nary but the more sure and genuine, — But what 
deserves our more particular attention, is, 

3. His receiving the word with joy. 

Joy is a pleasing elevation of the spirits excited 
by the possession of some present or the expecta- 
tion of some future good. Now the gospel is good 
news, and so adapted to give pleasure to the mind. 
He therefore who receives it with joy receives it as 
it ought to be received. But the ma^i our Saviour 
here describes is not a real christian, his joy there- 
fore must have something in it, or in the circum- 
stances accompanying it distinguishable from that 
of a genuine believer. Of Hes^i it is sai£ that he 
heard John gladly & and from the story it clearly 
appears Herod remained notwithstanding the same 
profligate man he was before. How then is the joy 
of the one to be distinguished from that of the 
other ? I answer, by what precedes it — by what ex* 
cites it— and by the effects of it. 

* Mark vi, 30. 



- 

ENTHUSIASTIC HEARERS. 151 

1. Let us consider what precedes it. 

The real christian, previous to his enjoying so- 
lid peace, is usually much depressed and cast 
down. Nor is his dejection the effect of bodily 
disorder, or an ill- temperature of the animal spi- 
rits, or of something he can give no rational ac- 
count of. It is an anxiety occasioned by a sense 
of sin, an apprehension of God's displeasure, and 
a fear that he may be denied those spiritual plea- 
sures he earnestly thirsts after. The cause of his 
trouble is not a chimera, it has a real existence in 
his breast, it has a painful and regular operation 
there, and he can reason in a plain and sensible 
manner about it. Now as the gospel is adapted 
to relieve the mind of those complaints, and is on 
that account stiled the gospel or glad-tidings, s© 
there are many passages wherein it is directly ad- 
dressed to persons of this description. And many 
historical instances we meet with in the bible, of 
those who have been comforted and made happy 
by its encouraging reasonings and gracious promi- 
ses. From the testimony therefore of scripture, 
and the nature of the gospel itself, it may be ra- 
tionally concluded it cannot afford true joy to a 
heart that is not thus prepared to receive it. The 
degree indeed of affliction necessary to be endured, 
in order to prepare men for the cheerful reception 
of divine truth, it may not be easy for us to de- 
termine. God however knows : and some he leads 
on to the enjoyment of religious pleasures in a 
more gentle and gradual manner than others. But 



l$&_. ENTHUSIASTIC HEARERS. 

it stands to reason, that the joy the heart feel,? 
must bear some proportion to the anxiety it has 
suffered. 

Now vain light enthusiastic persons are in a 
great degree strangers to these painful exercises of 
mind we have been just describing. It is on a 
sudden, induced by some motive of curiosity, that 
they hear the word; as suddenly they receive it; 
and as suddenly they are elevated and* transported 
by it. Their minds, previous to the joy they boast 
of, are wholly unoccupied with any serious sub- 
stantial sentiments about divine things. Some 
persons, indeed, who come within the description 
of the text, may have had general convictions of 
sin, and alarming apprehensions of the wrath of 
God. But these painful feelings are desultory and 
temporary, and capable of being quickly allayed, 
if not entirely removed, by the stupifying opiate of 
worldly pleasures. Wherefore a rapturous joy, 
which suddenly succeeds to a kind of dread that 
has no ingenuous disposition mingled with it, as 
well as a joy preceded by no anxiety at all ; may 
be naturally suspected to originate in enthusiasm 
rather than religion. — But, 

2. Let us enquire what it is that excites this joy. 
The causes of that elevation of the spirits which 
■we commonly call joy are various. Wine and 
other inebriating liquors give a brisk circulation 
to the blood and nervous fluids, and so exhilarate 
and gladden the heart. A sudden impression made 
@n the senses by external objects will have the like 



ENTHUSIASTIC HEARERS. 15 S 

effect. The reveries of the imagination, in a 
dream or delirium, will*create a fascinating kind of 
pleasure. Admiration, wonder, and astonishment 
have a great influence to produce it. Yea, the 
more tender passions of pity and commiseratica 
are accompanied with a degree of complacency 
and delight. So that joy may owe its existence to 
the senses, the imagination, and the tumultuous or 
soothing operation of the other passions ; as well 
as to sound reasoning, and a well-grounded per- 
suasion of real truth and of our interest in the 
great blessings of it, which are the only legiti- 
mate sources of religious joy. 

Now, this observed, it is easy to conceive ho\r 
a man of the cast our Saviour here speaks of, may 
be said to receive the word with joy. In some 
instances it is the word itself, the mere sound 
without any idea «g^ lQ ^ tI)af creates j- oyw 

The effect is instantly and mechanically produced 
by the tone and cadence of the voice, accompanied 
by an appearance, attitude and gesture that hap- 
pen to please. The man is delighted, elevated, 
and surprised, and he knows not why. Facts 
might be mentioned directly in point. Some have 
been heard to say at the passing out of an assem- 
bly, in words to this effect, * What a heavenly 
preacher ! he spoke like an angel — but I could not 
understand him. 9 ' In other instances it is not the 
sound only but the sense that affects. Here, how- 
ever, it will be found, that the joy the man feels 
is purely the effect of his imagination being amus- 



154 ENTHUSIASTIC HEARERS. 

ed with objects new, great, and marvellous, or 
with scenes of a soft, tender, moving kind : and not 
of his heart's being relieved of a burden with 
which it had been oppressed, or his being comfort- 
ed with the hope of obtaining that spiritual good he 
had thirsted after ; for he had neither groaned un- 
der the burden of sin, nor had he aspired to true 
holiness. 

To exemplify what we mean, we will suppose the 
preacher to describe the joys of heaven by strik- 
ing figures taken from sensible objects. He holds 
up to view a paradise exquisitely beautiful and en- 
chanting: the trees, shrubs, and flowers all perfect 
in their kind, arranged in the loveliest order, and 
affording a fragrance most delightful to the smell, 
and fruits most delicious to the taste; verdant 
banks, purling streams, shady bowers, transport- 
ing prospects ; and the joy heightened, now by the. 
soft melody of the grove, then the rapturous sym- 
phony of human voices, and then the loud and 
swelling notes of angelic bands. This, this, he 
assures the listening multitude is heaven : here 
they shall enjoy increasing pleasures, without the 
least anxiety, pain, or disgust; and without the 
most distant apprehension of either interruption 
or end. Is it to be wondered that such a scene, 
painted in the liveliest colors, beheld by a glow- 
ing imagination, and realized by unsuspecting cre- 
dulity, should give extatic joy to a carnal heart? 
It is not But is there religion in all this ? Ah 1 



ENrrHUSIAS'EIC HEAREES* 150 

So likewise we may easily conceive how a pleas- 
ing kind of sensation, excited in the breast by a 
pathetic description of misery, particularly the suf- 
ferings of Christ, may be mistaken for religion. 
Many a one has heard this sad tale told, and in- 
stantly concluded from his feelings, which par- 
took partly of pain and pleasure, that he loved 
Christ. The sensation, in these instances, is pre- 
cisely the same with that which a tender spectator 
feels at a tragical exhibition in the theatre. And if 
I might be allowed to relate a little story I have 
some where met with, it would both illustrate and 
confirm what has been asserted. One of a compas- 
sionate disposition, but grossly ignorant, (perhaps 
an Indian) hearing for the first time in a christian 
assembly a striking description of our Saviour's 
last passion, melted into tears ; and after the ser- 
vice was over, eagerly besought the preacher to be 
ingenuous with him, and tell him whether the fact 
lie had related was true, for he hoped in God that 
such a cruel deed could never have been perpe- 
trated. 

But to bring the matter still nearer. We will 
suppose what is said to be divested of all imagery, 
and that men are told in plain words that Jesus 
Christ came to procure for them the pardon of their 
sins, salvation from the miseries of hell, and a 
right to future and eternal happiness : I see no rea- 
son why a general apprehension of these truths and 
a general assent to them, may not excite some plea- 
sure, yea even joy in their breasts, without their 



S5« ElWHtrmSTIC HEAI&ftS. 

hearts being made a whit the better. Can my 
one whose conscience tells him he has sinned, who 
feels remorse for it, and dreads the tremendous 
consequence of dying under the curse of Almighty 
God ; call, I say, such person avoid being anxious? 
And if so, can he do otherwise than rejoice, when 
lie apprehends, though the ground of the appre- 
hension may be a mistaken one, that God has for- 
given him ? 

What dread has the conscience of many an igno- 
rant bigotted papist felt from a conviction of his 
having sinned ! And how happy has he instantly 
felt himself upon his having confessed to the priest 
and received absolution, while alas ! he has re- 
mained as wicked as ever ! In this case truth is 
mixed with error, and the false joy he feels arises 
©ut of this corrupt mixture. He believes God is 
disposed to pardon sin for the sake of Christ. So ? 
agreeable to the language of the text, he may b% 
£aid to receive the word with joy. But then it is 
Lis mistaken notion iibotit confession and the pow- 
er of the priest to absolve him, thus mingled with 
his general assent to the christian doctrine, that 
lias the main influence to excite that pleasing sen- 
sation he feels and boasts of. And the case is much 
the same with many protestants as w ell as papists. 
The man's conscience reproaches him for certain 
crimes, and he feels himself wretched. He is told 
God is merciful, and will forgive men their sins for 
Christ's sake. The news gives him joy, for he 
Hatters himself he shall escape the punishment he 



ENTHUSIASTIC HEARERS. 157 

dreaded. Bat his joy is without foundation, for he 
lias no just idea of the evil of sin itself, no ingenu- 
ous sorrow for it, and no sincere desire to be deliv- 
ered from it, 

In like manner we may easily conceive how a 
man of this character may be amused, entertained-, 
and even transported with a hope of heaven. He 
is told and very truly too, that in heaven, there is 
a perfect freedom from ail pain and sorrow, and an 
uninterrupted enjoyment of the most exquisite de- 
lights. These tidings he receives with joy. But 
the momen the is told, that this freedom from pain 
is accompanied with a freedom from sin, and that 
these positive pleasures result from communion 
with a holy God, and a participation of his purity 
and rectitude ; the moment, I say, he is told this, 
his joy abates, languishes, and dies. — But I for- 
bear. What has been said may suffice to ena- 
ble us to distinguish on the important question* 
What it is that excites our joy. — We are next to 
consider, 

3. What are the effects of it. 

The joy a real Christian feels is sober, rational, 
well-grounded, and will admit of the most pleas- 
ing reflections. He possesses himself; he can 
calmly reason upon the state of his mind, and those 
great truths and objects the contemplation of which 
make him happy j and he can recollect the plea- 
sures he has enjoyed on some special occasions 
with composure and satisfaction.— It humbles him. 
The higher he ascends the mount of communion 

14 



I5B ENTHUSIASTIC HEARERS. 

with God, the less he appears -in his own eyes* 
Those beams of the sun of righteousness which 
gladden his heart, throw a light upon his follies 
and sins. With Job he abhors himself, and repents 
in dust and ashes.* And, as the apostle expresses 
it, thinks soberly of himself as he ought to think.-f — 
His joy inspires him with meekness, candour and 
benevolence. It allays, if not entirely extinguish- 
es, the rage of violent passion, fans the flame of fer- 
vent charity, and puts the suul into a temper to 
unite cordially with all good men,, to pity the bad 
and to forgive its bitterest enemies. — His joy, in & 
word, makes him watchful and holy. He rejoices 
with trembling, is upon his guard against every 
thing that may disturb the tranquillity of his mind, 
holds sin at a distance as his greatest enemy, and 
aspires with growing ardor to the likeness of the 
ever-blessed God. 

On the contrary, who that contemplates the cha- 
racter of the credulous self-deceived enthusiast, but 
must see what has been said of the real christian 
awfully reversed in his temper and conduct ? Is he 
sober, prudent and self-collected ? Ah ! no. He 
is little better than a madman, or one drunk with 
wine wherein is excess. His heaven is a fooPs par- 
adise, and his account of it as unintelligible as the 
f antic talk of one in a delirium. Is he humble? 
Far from it. The pride of religious frenzy swells 
him into importance. Imagining himself a favour- 

* Job xlii. 6. f Rom * *"• 2. 



ENTHUSIASTIC HEARERS. 159 

ite of heaven, he looks down upon his fellow-mor- 
tals with an air of indifference if not contempt — 
44 Stand at a distance,. I am holier than thou. 55 
Is he meek, candid, and benevolent? So much the 
reverse, that the very names of these virtues sound 
harshly in his ear, and stand for little else in his 
opinion than pusillanimity, formality, and hypo- 
crisy. Is he conscientious and circumspect in his 
deportment? No. Boasting of his freedom he can 
take liberties that border on immorality, and treat 
the scruples of a weak believer as indicating a le- 
gal spirit. Superior to the drudgery of duties he 
walks at large, in no danger of being thrown into 
suspense about his state towards God by what he 
calls human frailties, and not doubting but that 
his zeal, which, like the Persian scythes mows 
down without mercy all before him, will open his 
way to a triumphant crown in heaven. 

Now all these things considered — what precedes 
-—what excites — and what follows the joy our 
Saviour here speaks of, we shall be at no loss 
to distinguish clearly between the joy of an en- 
thusiast and that of a real christian. To pro- 
ceed. 

Having thus received the word with joy, he pro- 
fesses himself a christian. And thus much must 
be said in his favour, that being sure he is right he 
is not ashamed of his faith. This ingenuity and 
frankness of temper secures him from all imputa- 
tion of hypocrisy, and induces his friends to hope 
i&at with all his frailties h© may possibly fee # 



150 ENTHUSIASTIC HEARERS. 

good man. So he is admitted to the participation 
of divine ordinances, is enrolled among the num- 
ber of professing christians, and for a while, al- 
lowing for the extravagancies of intemperate 
seal, behaves himself in a manner not to be mate- 
rially censured. But — What is the event ? Sad 
to say ! — Apostasy* But the consideration of this, 
with what follows, we shall refer to the next 
sermon. 

In the mean while, let me beseech those who an- 
swer .to the character we have been describing, to 
consider seriously their state towards God. Con- 
sideration is, I am sensible, what you, sirs, are not 
accustomed to : but in a matter of such consequence 
as this, I would hope you will, at least for this once, 
yield to our request. Let me ask you then, can you 
sincerely believe that a religion which consists 
wholly in a rapturous elevation of the passions, in- 
dependent of the clear dictates of the judgment, and 
the governing dispositions of the heart, can be ac- 
ceptable to God? Surely if there be such a thing 
as religion, it must originate in the understanding 
and conscience, and so diffuse its influence over the 
passions. It must consist in an affectionate regard 
to the divine authority, springing from a clear idea 
of the difference between good and evil, and an ar- 
dent desire to escape the latter, and enjoy the for- 
mer. And oh ! how deplorable will your condition 
be, should you in the great day of account, after 
all your flaming pretensions to religion^ be foimd 
utterly destitute of it ! 



ENTHUSIAST!!! HEARERS. l&t 

Nothing lias, I hope* dropped in the course of 
this sermon which may convey an idea to any mind 
unfavourable to religion, as if it had no concern 
with the passions, and were not adapted to afford 
joy to the heart. It is indeed most interesting to 
the passions, and has been found, by the experi- 
ence of the wisest and best of men, to be the plea- 
santest thing in the whole world. Let a man 
speculate as long as he will upon the great truths 
of religion, if he does not feel them, if they neither 
warm his heart nor influence his life, what is he 
the better ? Neither his profound knowledge, nor 
the contempt in which he holds those of the oppo- 
site character for their ignorance and credulity, 
will do him any real good. The Apostle Paul, 
with all his accurate and superior understanding 
of the great things of God, was a warm, lively, 
passionate christian. He knew what it was to be 
transported on occasions almost beyond himself. 
Whether, says he to the Corinthians, we be beside 
ourselves, it is to God: or whether we be sober, iti$ 
" for your cause. For the love of Christ constraineth 
us.* May we be such christians as he was ! 

To conclude. What has been said will, I hope, 
have an effect to relieve the humble but afflicted 
christian, of some uncomfortable doubts with 
whi< h he may have been oppressed respecting his 
state towards God. You, my friends, v\ho are of 
a timorous make, and through various causes of a 

* 2 Cor. v. 13, 14, 
14* 



162 ENTHUSIASTIC HEAHEHS. 

sorrowful spirit; are strangers to the rapturous 
feelings of which these confident people we have 
been describing so much boast. But it does not 
from thence follow, that you are utterly unac- 
quainted with the pleasures of religion, and that 
your hearts are not right towards God. You have 
seen the difference between good and evil ; you 
have deeply lamented your sins, and hungered and 
thirsted after righteousness; you have cordially 
approved of that method of salvation divine grace 
lias appointed, and have entrusted your immortal 
all to the hands of Christ. Why then should you 
fear ? Be of good courage. The blessed Jesus is 
your friend, and he will keep what you have com- 
mitted to him against the great day. 



ENTHUSIASTIC HEARERS. l&j 



PART II. 

XHE character of enthusiastic hearers is 
now under consideration. Their temper and con- 
duct are described with remarkable clearness and 
precision in the text.^ Some seeds fell upon stony 
places 9 where they had not much earth : and forthwith 
ihey sprung up 9 because they had no deepness of earth. 
And when the sun was up 9 they were scorched, and 
because they had not root, they withered away. Our 
Saviour's exposition of this part of the parable runs 
thus,f He that received the seed into stony places 9 the 
same is he that heareth the word 9 and anon with joy 
receiveth it : yet hath he not root in himself but dur- 
eth for a while : for when tribulation' or persecution 
ariseth because of the word 9 by and by he is offended. 
JSow here we have proposed to consider — the char- 
acter of these persons previous to their hearing 
the word — the effect it instantly produces on their 
minds — their failure afterwards — and the causes 
of it. The twa first of these enquiries were the 
subjects of the preceding sermon, and we go 
on new, 

III. To consider the lamentable Apostasy of 
these deluded men. 

The seed that fell upon stony places and forth- 
with sprung up, in a little time ivithered away. It 

• Matth. xiii, 5, 6. f vcr. 20, 21 > 



164 iBffTfttrSIASTie liEABEftg* 

did not rise into the stalk and ear, and so bear 
fruit j but the verdure passed off almost as soon as 
it was beheld, and the seed itself totally perished.* 
This our Lord explains of the unhappy man's en- 
during for a while, and then being offended ; or, as 
Luke has it4 his believing for a while, and then 
falling away. Here two things will deserve our 
notice — the term, of his profession — and the man- 
ner in which it is renounced. 

1. The term. of his profession is short. 

Between the sowing of seed in the decline of the 
year and the reaping at the following, harvest* 
there is a considerable intervening space : but the 
seed the text speaks of springs up and is gone in a 
few days or weeks. So here. It is by degrees, and 
for a course of years, the genuine christian is ad- 
vancing towards perfection. But alas! the poor 
vain unprincipled professor is instantly at the ze- 
nith of all his glory. Some, indeed, hold it out 
longer than others : and the reason may be, because 
nothing remarkable arises from without to try 
their constancy, and to bring forward their real 
characters to view. But, for the most part, a short 
course of time shews what are men's principles and 
motives of conduct. Enthusiastic zeal, like in- 
flammable air, quickly evaporates. The sources of 
that pleasure which gives existence to a spuriou^ 

* i prtmis segetes moriuntur in herbis : 
Et modo sol nimius, nimius modo corripit imber. OviSv 

f Chapter viii. I?. 



ENTHUSIASTIC HEAHERS. 165 

religion and an equivocal devotion, are soon ex- 
hausted. The imagination tires, the senses are 
palled, and the passions, for want of novelty and 
variety to keep them alive, sink away into a lan- 
guid unfeeling torpid state. Or if the man is still 
the same restless being he ever was, some new ob- 
ject catches his attention, and puts an end to his 
former connexions and pursuits. His goodness, cs 
the morning cloud and the early dew passeth away** 
Like a flaming meteor, having awhile drawn the 
retention of all around him, he disappears and van- 
ishes into eternal oblivion. Of him we may say it* 
the language of the psalmist, How is he brought into 
desolation as in a moment ! as a dream when one 
awaketh, so, Lord, when thou awakest thou 
shall despise his image.] But, to be a little more 
particular, 

g. In what manner does he renounce his pro- 
fession ? 

He either silently quits it, or publicly disavows 
it. He is offended, stumbles, falls, falls away. 
lie no longer maintains and defends the truth, no 
longer frequents the house of God, no longer asso- 
ciates with his fellow-christians, no longer pays 
any attention to the duties of the family or the 
closet, if indeed he ever regarded them at all. 
The name by which he was called is obliterated* 
the place that knew him knows him no more, his 
religious connexions arc dissolved, from the vieW 

*Hosea vi, 4. f Psalm lxxiii, 19 , 20. 



166 ENTHUSIASTIC HEARERS* 

of those with whom he had joined in christian 
fellowship he withdraws, and bidding adieu to all 
that is serious and good, he mingles with the 
world, enters into their spirit and views, and in 
the general crowd of vain unthinking men is for- 
gotten and lost. 

Or else, which is sometimes the case, he as 
openly and contumeiiously casts off his profession, 
as he had hastily and passionately assumed it. 
The faith he once swore to defend with the last 
drop of his blood, he now laughs at as an old 
wife's fable. The people with whom he had asso- 
ciated he stigmatizes with the name of fools or 
impostors, the institutions of religion he treats 
with sovereign contempt, the reins he throws on 
the neck of his brutal appetites, treads under foot 
the Son of God, counts the Mood of the covenant 
wherewith he xvas sanctified an unholy thing, and 
does despite to the Spirit of graced He falls, and 
falls away so as not to be recovered again. For 
sinning thus wilfully after he had received the 
knowledge of the truth 9 there remaineth no more 
sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of 
judgment, avd fiery indignation , which shall devour 
the adversaries*^ 

How lamentable a case this ! What pious heart 
can think of it, without feeling for the honour of 
religion, and trembling for the wretched apostate ! 
Ah foolish, unhappy, disingenuous man ! Is thfe 

* Jieb. » 39. fHeb.s. 26 5 2r, 



ENTHUSIASTIC HEARERS. 167 

the result of all thy boasted joys, thy flaming zeal, 
thy confident vows, thy solemn professions? Thou 
didst run well, in thine own apprehension and that 
of multitudes about thee ; what hath hindered ? 
Who hath bewitched thee, that thou shouldst re- 
nounce the truth, after having had Jesus Christ 
evidently set forth crucified before thine eyes? 
"Would to God, that our remonstrances, expostu- 
lations and entreaties might even yet make some 
impression on thy heart ! But if that is past feel- 
ing, let however thy baseness and perfidy secure 
the sentence of divine justice forever from the 
charge of severity. — It remains that we now con- 
sider, 

IV. The cause of these men's apostasy. 

This our Saviour explains with admirable pre- 
cision, by teaching us that it is partly owing to 
the want of something within essentially import- 
ant to religion, and partly to a concurrence of cir- 
cumstances from without unfavourable to the pro- 
fession of it. 

I, Something is wanting within. 

The parable says, the seed forthwith sprung up 
away because it had no root, as Mark has it ;* and 
because it had no deepness of earth; and it withered 
lacked moisture, as it is expressed in Luke.f For 
Avant of sufficient quantity of earth the seed did 
not sink deep enough into the ground, and through 
the luxuriance of the mould it too qickly dissemi- 

* Chap. iv. 6. f Chap. viii. 5. 



163 ENTHUSIASTIC HEARERS* 

nated and sprung up. So that having taken root, 
there was no source whence the tender grass might 
be supplied with nourishment j and of consequence 
it inust\iecessarily in a little time wither and die. 
Agreeably therefore to the figure, our Lord, in his 
explanation of the parable, speaks of these hearers 
as having no root in themselves. 

And such precisely is the case of the sort of pro- 
fessors we are discoursing of. They have no prin- 
ciple of religion in their hearts. Their notions 
are not properly digested, they do not disseminate 
themselves in the mind, take fast hold on the con- 
science, and incorporate, if I may so express my- 
self, with the practical powers of the soul. The 
word preached does not profit them, not being mixed 
with faith, or, as perhaps it might be rendered, 
because they are not united by faith to the word;* 
They hear the word, affix some general idea to it, 
admit it all to be true without either consideration 
or reflection, feel a confused tumultuous agitation 
of the passions, and so are instantly precipitated 
into action. But their understanding is not duly 
enlightened, their judgment is not rightly inform- 
ed, their conscience is not thoroughly awakened, 
their will not subdued, nor their affections 'sancti- 
ed. In short, their religion is little else than an 
airy phantom, a w ild reverie, an idle passing 
dream. Now this being the case, is it to be won- 
dered that in a very little time they fall away ?— 
But this sad event is owing likewise, 
* Hcb. iv. 2. 



ENTHUSIASTIC HEAR£B&. 1$9 

^g. To a concurrence of circumstances from 
-without unfavourable to the profession of religion. 
These in the parable, are all comprehended under 
the idea of the sun's scorching the springing grass : 
and, in our Saviour's exposition of it, are describ- 
ed by the terms tribulation, persecution, affliction* 
and temptation, all which arise because of the word* 
or are occasioned by it. 

In the early age of Christianity, it was scarce 
possible for a man to profess the religion of Jesus* 
without exposing himself thereby to great tempo- 
ral inconvenience and distress. Of this our Sa- 
viour frequently warned his disciples, telling them 
that if they would follow him, they must be con- 
tent for his sake to part with house, lands, goods, 
$rives, children, and their dearest enjoyments; yea 
that they must be willing to suffer reproach, im- 
prisonment, and death. And what he foretold 
came to pass. Through much tribulation they en- 
tered into the kingdom of God.* And this tribula- 
tion arose because of the word. The doctrine of 
the cross was to the Jews a stumbling-block, and 
to the Greeks foolishness: its simplicity and 
purity created an aversion to it, which nothing 
short of a divine power could subdue. So that 
the implacable resentments of the former urged 
them to every possible exertion, in order to extir- 
pate the christian name ; and the insufferable pride 
■of the latter begat in their breasts a sovereign con- 

* Acts xiv. 22. 
15 



IT** ENTHUSIASTIC HEARERS, 

tempt for all who assumed it. Wherefore the pro- 
fessors of this new religion, as it was called, were 
sure to meet with more or less obloquy and perse- 
cution. And such treatment, not failing to bring 
their sincerity and constancy to the test, soon pro- 
duced a revolution in those, whose profession had 
nothing to support it but a mere passion for novel- 
ty. Their confessions and vows, fair and promis- 
ing as they might seem, quickly withered beneath 
the scorching beams of persecution. 

The like event hath happened in regard of an 
infinite number of pretended christians since those 
times. And few, even of those whose enthusiasm 
has risen to the highest pitch, have had firmness 
enough, merely for the sake of acquiring a splen- 
did name, to renounce all that was dear to them 
in this world. But the profession of the gospel 
now flourishes under the mild auspices of liberty, 
and men may avow their religious principles, not 
only without danger of being called to account by 
the magistrate, but with little hazard of suffering 
.any material reproach and abuse from their neigh- 
bours. ¥et, fashionable as it may be in some pe- 
riods and countries to assume the appearance of 
-religion, it is still true that he who will live godly 
in Christ Jesus must suffer persecution. A firm 
attachment to the simplicity of divine truth, and 
a conscientious observance of its precepts, will, 
especially under certain circumstances, expose a 
man to the ill-natured censures of some, and the 
cold shy indifference of others. 



ENTHUSIASTIC 1TEARE.RS. 17 X 

Now, whatever the affliction or temptation may 
be which arises because of the word, the mere 
nominal professor, who has not ballast enough in 
himself to keep him steady, will he quickly over- 
powered, sunk, and destroyed. Instances of this 
sort are too numerous to be particularly recitecV 
How often has the sneer of a profane acquaintance, 
a trifling atfront from a fellow-christian, or a siul- 
den resistance to a mere fancy or humour, become 
the occasion of a man's rending himself frovn his 
religious connexions, and in the end totally re- 
nouncing his profession ! Puffed up with pride 
and conceit, and unprincipled by the grace of God, 
Iifc stumbles at every stone or pivot he meets, till 
at length he falls, and falls to rise no more again. 
And if little offences shall produce this effect, it is 
not to be thought strange that the mighty storms of 
adversity, arising now from this and then from that 
quarter, should dash to pieces the shallow bark of 
an empty profession on the rock cf infidelity ; or 
that the brisk gales of prosperity should sink it in 
the quicksands of worldly dissipation and plea- 
sure. 

Examples of such miserable apostates there are 
many : we will instance only a few during our Sa- 
viour's personal ministry here on earth, and a little 
after his ascension into heaven. There was an 
occasion on which he benevolently fed five thou- 
sand people, with a few barley loaves and fishes. 
The splendonr of this miracle so sensibly struck 
the passions of the -multitude*, that in an extasy of 



lf£ ENTHUSIASTIC HEA&ERSi 

admiration and wonder they cried out, ^This 
surely is the Messiah, the prophet that should 
come. Let us take him by force and make him a 
king." Thus instantly and loudly do they profess 
their faith in Christ ; nor would they have hesi- 
tated a moment to pronounce the severest censure 
up\m any one of their number, who should have 
dissented from the proposal* But no moral 
change having passed on their hearts, what is the 
result? The next temptation that arises shakes 
their faith in Christ, dissolves their attachment to 
him, and puts an end to their profession. On the 
.morrow, piqued at our Lord's freedom in reprov- 
ing them mr their worldliness* and offended at the 
purity and 'sublimity of his doctrine ; they mur- 
mur at him, complain of his sayings as hard and 
unintelligible, deny that he came down from hea- 
ven, and, in a word, go back and walk no mora 
with him.^ 

Of the same character were the men of Naza- 
reth, When oui* Lord entered their synagogue, 
and discoursed to them upon a passage from the 
old testament, they fastened their eyes upon him, 
bore witness to what he said, and wondered at the 
gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. 
They were all attention, and seemed deeply affect- 
ed with his mild and persuasive reasoning. But 
alas ! the scene is soon changed. They urge him 
to work a miracle among them. He refuses to 

* John vt. 



ENTHUSIASTIC HEARERS. 173 

gratify their curiosity, representing to them their 
real character, which was like that of their per- 
verse and iniquitous ancestors. Upon which filled 
with wrath they seize him, lead him to the brow of 
the hill on which their city was built, and would 
have cast him down headlong from thence, had he 
not passed through the midst of them and so es- 
caped.* 

No less extraordinary was the wretched enthu- 
siasm of the people at Jerusalem.! One day we 
see them leading our Saviour in triumph into the 
city, crying, " Hosanna to the son of David, bless- 
ed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord ! ?> 
and the next, at the persuasion of the chief priests 
and elders, with unexampled cruelty demanding of 
Pilate his crucifixion. Who could have supposed 
a change so marvellous should take place in so 
short a time ? The truth is, the real character of 
the people was the same the one day as the other : 
but objects striking their imagination now differ- 
ently from what they did their, these very extraoiv 
dinary effects ensued. 

In fine, the Laodiceans, at least many of them, 
were notoriously of the character we have been de- 
scribing. It is not to be doubted, when the gospel 
was first preached among them, they received it 
With joy. The ground was stony, but having a 
little earth upon it, the seed met with a|favourable 
reception. It forthwith sprung up, and produced a 

* Luke iv. 25 — 30. f Matt. xxi * 1—1 J * 

15^ , 



If 4 ENTHUSIASTIC HEAKEKS. 

verdure pleasing to the eye, and likely to be fol 
lowed with a fair harvest. But alas ! having no 
root, and the sun of worldly prosperity arising up- 
on it, it quickly withered. It is easy to imagine 
the rapturous pleasure these people felt at the first 
hearing of this new and marvellous doctrine : and 
probably for a time it continued, and they brought 
forth some fruits answerable to it. But it was 
not long ere they relapsed into their former state. 
Their hearts not being established with grace, and 
the world with its flattering pleasures wantonly 
caressing them ; their joy declined, their zeal abat- 
ed, and they became neither cold nor hot. What 
a strange reverse ! How is the gold become dim 
and the fine gold changed ! Thou sayest, such Is 
the language of him who searched their hearts, 
lam rich, and increased with goods and have need 
of nothing : and knowest not that thou art wretched, 
and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.* 

Nor are characters of this description confined 
to the first age of Christianity : they have existed 
in every age and place where the gospel has been 
preached since that time ; in Romish and reformed 
churches, in this and other countries, in the esta- 
blishment and among dissenters. Indeed enthusi- 
asm is not to be considered as the offspring of reli- 
gion, or as peculiar to the religious of any denomina- 
tion. It is the result of a particular cast of mind, 
ot temperature of animal spirits j and to be met 

* Rev. iii. 16, 1?* 



ENTHUSIASTIC HEARERS. 17'5 

with among men of all professions of life* Nor is 
it, when held under seasonable restraints, without 
its use to society* The excessive ardour, for in- 
stance, of a brave general has on certain occasions 
produced efforts, which, though scarcely reconcile- 
able with military skill, have been followed with 
the most beneficial consequences. And if chris- 
tians, whose religion holds up to their view the 
grandest objects and the most animating prospects^ 
are sometimes transported almost beyond them- 
selves ; it ought not to be thought strange: nor 
will any evil accrue from it, but on the contrary 
much good, both to themselves and others. But 
when one of an unprincipled heart assumes, under 
the influence of a heated imagination, the charac- 
ter of a man of religion ; every wild and danger- 
ous extravagance is to be apprehended, nor can 
there remain a doubt that the event of his profes- 
sion >vill be such as has been represented. Reli- 
gion, however, is not to be blamed for these evils, 
of which it is no way the cause though it may be 
the occasion : they are to be set down to the ac- 
count of a fatal but too frequent combination of a 
depraved heart with an impetuous natural temper. 
Thus have w r e considered our Saviour's striking 
description of the second class of hearers, namely, 
the enthusiastic — their character previous to 
their hearing the word — the effect it instantly pro- 
duces on their minds — their apostasy — and the 
causes of it. It remains that we now make a few 
reflections. 



i atiii si kSTTC RE vim. i: j. 

i. What i striking picture has our Savloui 
here given us of human nature f 

The character of enthusiastic hearers is drawn 
in our text to the life, with the greatest simplicity) 
and free from all art or colouring ; and it has been 
realized, as was just observed, in instances with* 
out numix r. Every age and country where the 
gospel has been preached, have furnished exam 
pics of persons who have treated ■ < in the manner 
here described^ And how natural to conclude 
from henc6| that Jesus of Nazareth was;* teacher 
that came from God ! lie taught with authority* 
not as the Scribes* He had an exact and compre- 
hensive knowledge of all men and of all thin 
lie needed not that any should testify of man i for 
he knew what was in man. 1 How devoutly should 
we revere his infinite wisdom and penetration ! 
Mow diligently listen to his instructions! And 
how implicitly confide in his word and promises ! 
And since he has thus exactly foretold what treat* 
ment his gospel would meet with in the world, 
how should this consideration fortify the minds of 
his faithful ministers, amidst all the discourage- 
ments they meet with from this quarter! Be 11 so 
that enthusiasm f as well as infidelity, erects its 
standard against the gospel wherever ii comes* 
our divine Master has told us that so it would be: 
we have therefore no reason to Ur unduly i 
down at an appearance so sad and unple&sl 

• Jo! 



ENTHUSIASTIC lIEAKEHS. 17? 

g. Of what importance is it to study ourselves, 
and to keep a guard upon our passions ! 

Men differ, as we have seen, from one another 
in regard of their animal frame, as well as their 
moral disposition ; and the former has no small 
influence, though not in so great a degree as the 
latter, on their speculations and feelings ahout 
matters of religion. To know therefore what is 
our natural cast, what the temperature of our ani- 
mal spirits, how we are apt to he affected with 
external objects, whether we are lively or phleg- 
matic, gay or gloomy, cheerful or severe ; to know 
this I say is a matter of great consequence, For 
hereby we shall he secured from mistaking our 
own proper character, and pronouncing too has- 
tily either for or against ourselves. Some truly 
pious christians have been apt to conclude from 
those painful feelings which are the mere effect of 
natural constitution, that they are utter strangers 
to the grace of God: while others, on the mere 
ground of their lively and elevated feelings, have 
as confidently insisted that they are christians, 
and christians too of a superiour rank. In the 
former case, the mistake is not a little prejudicial 
to a man's present comfort; in the latter, it is es- 
sentially dangerous to his everlasting interest. 

Let ns therefore study ourselves. It is manly 
to wish to know what our real character is. Self- 
knowledge will have an important influence on 
our general conduct. It will prevent many sole- 
cisms in our daily deportment, both as men and 



irS ENTHUSIASTIC HEARERS* 

christians. It will put us upon our guard againsf 
the arts of designing infidels, and the miserable 
delusions of enthusiasm. And it will assist us in 
our attention to those duties, which are wisely 
and graciously appointed for our furtherance in 
the divine life. 

3. We see what kind of preaching is to be cov- 
eted, and what avoided. 

Improvement in substantial knowledge and real 
holiness, will be the grand object with every wise 
man : to this he will readily sacrifice imagination 
and passion* These indeed are not to be treated 
with neglect. A dull, heavy, lifeless discourse, 
whatever useful instruction it may contain, will 
have little effect. A man who wishes to persuade, 
ought no doubt to feel his subject, and religious 
subjects are of all others the most sublime and 
animating. But if all the preacher's aim is to 
amuse the fancy of his audience, without inform- 
ing their judgment ; and to rouse their passions, 
without getting at their hearts ; little good is to be 
expected from his most ingenious essays, or his 
most strenuous exertions. 

Religion is a serious thing, and so miserably 
ignorant and perverse are the generality of hear- 
ers, that they need be closely reasoned and faith- 
fully dealt with upon this most important matter. 
What prospect is there then of a sinner's being 
converted to God by rhetorical flourishes, well- 
turned periods, or an artful laboured display of 
splendid abilities ! And how much less prospect 



ENTHUSIASTIC HEADERS. ITS 

of his becoming either wise or good by the violent 
impulse of loud vociferation, unmeaning tones* 
and frantic gestures ! Will the exciting an igno- 
rant hearer's wonder by a few r empty jejune criti- 
cisms, convince him of the evil of sin and his 
danger of suffering the wrath of almighty God ? 
Will the playing upon his imagination with a 
plenty of ill-managed tropes and figures, and a 
succession of idle trifling stories, persuade him to 
break off his vices and become a sound substantial 
Christian ? Will the grimace of a distorted coun- 
tenance, the thunder of an unnaturally elevated 
voice, or the terrour of uplifted hands, compel 
liim to rank among the followers of the Lamb ? 
Ah ! no. Effects indeed, and very important ones, 
have been produced by these expedients ; but alas ! 
they are such as have rather injured than served 
ihe real interests of mankind. This has sufficient- 
ly appeared from the preceding discourse. 

Let us, therefore, if we would rightly understand 
the word of the kingdom and be savingly benefit- 
ted by it, choose those for our instructors who 
clearly state it, ably defend it, and with all the se- 
riousness, affection and earnestness which its infi- 
nite importance demands address our hearts and 
consciences upon it. It is not wild enthusiasm 
but a divine faith that must bring us to heaven. 

4. Our Lord, by the instruction given us in our 
text, has enabled us to reply to an objection often 
urged against the doctrine of the saints final perse- 
verance* 



We are frequently reminded of persons whose 
profession for a short time was fair and splendid* 
but who in the end renounced it. And no doubt 
this has been the fact in too many sad instances. 
But what does it prove ? No more than that these 
men were either designing hypocrites, or else hast- 
ily took upon them a profession of what they did 
not rightly understand, truly believe, and cordial- 
ly approve. And will any one say that the event 
of such a profession is at all to be wondered at? or 
that it does in the least clash with the assurances 
our Saviour has given us, of his attention to the fi- 
nal interests of his faithful people ? It might na- 
turally be expected that the man who received the 
word in the manner the text describes, should by 
and by be offended. No real change hadeVer pass- 
ed on his heart, no living principle of religion was 
ever implanted in his breast, and no promise was 
ever given him of such support and assistance, as 
should secure him from apostacy in the hour of 
temptation and danger. 

But where the understanding has been duly 
enlightened, and the heart really impregnated with 
a principle of religion, as it is not likely that what 
is in a manner interwoven with a man's nature 
should be easily parted with^ so likewise the scrip- 
tures assure us, that divine grace will watch over 
it, defend, cherish, and bring it to perfection. The 
former idea is authorized by our Lord's commen- 
dation of the water of life, in his discourse with the 
woman of bamaria : it shall be, says he, in him to 



ENTHUSIASTIC HEARERS. 4 Si 

whom I give it, a wellof water springing up into 
everlasting life.* And the latter idea, I mean the 
attention which the blessed God pays to this vital 
principle of religion in the hearts of his people, is 
strikingly expressed by our Saviour in those re- 
markable words :f I give unto them eternal life* 
and they shall never perish, neither shall any man 
pluck them out of my hand — and no man is able to 
pluck them out of my father's hand. — Once more, 

5, And lastly. Let not the mournful subject 
we have been considering create any discourage- 
ment in the breast of the truly humble but weak 
christian. 

Methinks I hear him, in the sadness of his hearty 
say, " I have received the word, and, as I thought, 
with joy. But what if my joy should prove a 
mere illusion of the fancy? And what if my pro- 
fession should issue in apostacy ?" This be assur- 
ed, christian, and I think 1 speak upon the author- 
ity of scripture, will not be the case. Recollect 
v hat has been said respecting the temper of your 
mind previous to the comfort you enjoyed, the 
considerations that excited it, and the effects it 
produced. 

You was in earnest about the salvation of your 
soul. You clearly saw you had offended God, and 
lost his image ; that you were in danger of suffer- 
ing his wrath, and that there was no -help in you. 
What relieved you of your fear, was a firm persua- 

*John iv. 14. f John x.23.29, 

16 



1'8£ ENTHUSIASTIC HEAKEKS* 

sion, upon the testimony of scripture, that God rs 
merciful for Christ's sake to the chiefest of sinners. 
On the merit of this divine Saviour you wholly re- 
posed yourself for pardon, justification, and eter- 
nal life. So you was humbled before God under 
a sense of your own vileness ; you regretted the of- 
fences you had committed against him; you felt 
your obligations to his mercy ; you resolved upon 
taking the proper measures for mortifying your 
lusts, and resisting temptation ; and though you 
have not yet attained nor are yet perfect, it is how- 
ever your daily concern to avoid sin, and to please 
God. 

And now, I ask, is there not a clear distinction 
between your character, and the characters of the 
self-deceiving hypocrite and the wild enthusiast? 
Why then should you be thus cast down ? Put your 
trust in God. Go on diligently hearing the word 
of the kingdom, comforting yourself with its ma- 
ny gracious promises, cherishing in your breast 
its divine temper, and practising its sacred pre- 
cepts. So you may rest assured the event will 
be to your infinite joy. God is faithful whp has 
^promised* 



discourse rvv 

The character of worldly-minded hearers 

considered. 



PART L 

Matt, xiii. 7* 

Ami some fell among thorns : and the thorns sprung 
up and choked them. 

JLlIE characters of the two first classes of 
hearers having been considered, we proceed now 
to that of the 

THIRD, the worldly-minded* These are 
described in our text. Some seeds fell among thorns : 
and the thorns sprung up and choked them. 

The soil in the hedge or enclosure round about 
the field, is usually richer and deeper, and so more 
favourable for cultivation, than the ground on the 
way-side, or in stony-places. Wherefore the seed 
which accidentally falls here will be likely after a 
time to take root : nor is it liable to be trod on, or 
instantly scorched with heat. But then unhappily 
the thorns, which through the luxuriance of the 
soil grow here »v abundance, spring up with it, 



184 W0R1DXY-MINBED HEARERS. 

and crouding about it keep off the sun and the air ; 
so its growth is checked, and of consequence it 
brings no fruit to perfection, but in a course of 
time it is choked and destroved. 

Such is the figure our Lord adopts, to describe 
the effects which the word produces on their minds 
"who, amidst all their pretensions to religion, are 
yet men of the world, and bring not forth such 
fruit as might reasonably be expected from their 
profession. His exposition of this part of the par- 
able you have in the twenty-second verse : He also 
that received seed among the thorns, is he that hear* 
tlh the word; and the care of this world* and ihede- 
eeitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becometh 
unfruitful. — Here you will observe, 

1. The treatment the word meets with from 
these persons. — They hear it, and receive it. 

These terms- have been already explained, and 
are here to be understood, as in the former case, 
of affixing some idea to the gospel, giving a gene- 
ral assent to its truth, and professing it. But 
some difference is to be remarked, even in regard 
of these particulars, between the sort of persona 
considered in the former discourse and those wc 
are how treating of. The enthusiast, if not literal- 
ly speaking under the influence of mere sound, yet 
hears with such an eager rapid kind of levity, that 
Lis notions of religion are a perfect chaos of wild 
ideas without either order or consistency. The 
transition, too, he makes from his first hearing the 
word to his believing and professing it, is almost 



WORLDLY-MINDED HEA&EBS. 185 

instantaneous j and in the whole business he ap- 
pears to be deeply interested in what he is about. 
But the case is perhaps otherwise here. The man 
hears, and goes on to hear, till at length he col- 
lects a tolerably consistent notion of the gospel* 
But though, like the other, he admits it all to be 
true without feeling himself embarrassed with 
doubts; yet he discovers little of that zeal, which 
so strongly marks the character of the enthusiast. 
x\fter a while, how ever, he makes a public profes- 
sion ; and this done in the ordinary way and with- 
out any shew or parade, he is considered as a so- 
ber sedate christian. Yea more that this, having 
professed the word, he brings forth some fruit; for 
this is evidently implied in the phrase used by 
Luke,^ of his hinging no fruit to perfection* His 
conduct is in the general decent and respectable. — ■ 
Now this being the manner of his receiving the 
word, you will observe, 

2. How its salutary operation on his heart is 
obstructed and defeated. — He goes forth, says 
Luke,f that is, mingles with the world,- becomes 
more intimately connected with the businesses and 
amusements of life than he has occasion, and so 
by degrees is conformed to the spirit, manners, 
and conduct of the vain part of- mankind.:):' The 

* Chap. via. 14. f Ibid * 

| Perhaps arspwc/umi may be intended to convey an idea of con- 
tinued action, as in our Lord's words to the apostles, Matt. x. 7, 
wcptuofAivot iwpvaa-zji, as ye go, preach. And in that case, a very im» 

16* 



186 WORLDLY-MINDED HEARERS. 

cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches* 
and the lusts of other things,* or the pleasures of 
life, as Luke has it,f enter in, that is, into his 
heart. They seize his attention, exercise his 
thoughts, take up his time, and engross his affec- 
tions. — And what, 

3. Is the event? — These thorns choke the word. 

Its natural and proper operation on his judg- 
ment, conscience, and passions is obstructed ; and, 
after a time, the impressions it had made are 
wholly effaced, and the very remembrance of it 
lost. So he becomes unfruitful. None of the ami- 
able graces of humility, meekness, temperance, sim- 
plicity, and benevolence adorn his profession. He is 
not indeed as yet strictly speaking an apostate, but 
maintains a general character for sobriety, justice, 
and decency. It is nevertheless true of him, that 
lie brings no fruit to perfection. There is fruit, 
but it scarce deserves the name of fruit, not hav- 
ing arrived at its proper growth, ripened kindly, 
or got its true flavour. The duties of piety and 
devotion are reluctantly, irregularly and careless- 
ly performed; those of christian friendship and 
love are little attended to : and those of mortifica- 
tion and self-denial are almost wholly overlooked 
and forgotten. And what is the final issue ? He 

* Mark iv. 19. f Chap. viii. 14. 

portant circumstance in the conduct of these hearers, is held up 
to view, namely, their going on in a constant round of hearing 
' the word, and pursuing the world, 



WORLDLY-MINDED HEARERS. 18? 

is himself choked as well as the word, (for so 
Luke describes it*) with cares, riches, and the 
pleasures of this life. He dies, perishes, is lost 
for ever. 

Thus you have a general comment upon this 
part of the parable, and upon our Saviour's expo- 
sition of it. And now it will be necessary to con- 
sider more particularly, 

I. What those things are which prevent the salu- 
tary effect of God's word upon that class of hear- 
ers we are here discoursing of; 

II. How they operate to that end; and, 

III. The sad event of all. 

I. Let us consider what those things are which 
obstruct the due operation of God's word on the 
hearts of these men. Our Lord mentions three — - 
cares — riches — pleasures. 

FIRST, The cares of the world. 

By the cares of the world he means undue and 
criminal anxieties about secular concerns. Now, 
as it is allowed on all hands that worldly cares are 
not to be wholly reprobated ; in order to our clear- 
ly shewing how far they are or are not sinful, we 
will consider them in reference to a threefold view 
of a, man's temporal interests — subsistence — compe- 
tence — affluence* 

By subsistence we mean the necessaries of life, 
what a man cannot do without, such as food, rai- 
ment, and habitation. To wish for these, to take 

5 Chap, viii, 14* 



ffi§ WORLDLY-MINDEB HEAKEKS, 

proper measures to obtain them, and when we 
have them to enjoy them, cannot be wrong. Ycnir 
Father, says our Saviour, Imoweth that ye have 
need of these things.* Indifference to them, if that 
were possible, would be criminal, and of conse- 
quence, the not using proper endeavours to procure 
them, would be criminal also. No pretence of ab- 
stractedness from the world, and elevation of heart 
to heaven, will justify indolence. But then, on the 
contrary, such a care about even the necessaries 
of life as involves in it distrust of the providence oP 
God, and drives a man almost to distraction ; such 
a care as occupies all his thoughts and time, and 
renders him incompetent to the duties of religion; 
and such a care, which is worse, as precipitates 
him, through indulgence and sloth, into dishonest 
measures to obtain a livelihood, is very sinful and 
deplorable indeed. This must strike every one at 
first view, and therefore requires no further illus- 
tration here, in order to prove it, which is all our 
object at present. 

Competence is a relative term, and has respect to 
capacity and desire. Such a proportion uf the 
world as is suited to our capacity, that is,, to our 
character, and station in life, is a real competence; 
but such as is suited to desires not regulated by 
reason and religion> is an equivocal competence. 
As to the latter, all care about it is criminal, But* 

* Luke sH. 30, 



WORLDLY-MINDED HEAEERS. 189 

as to the former, a real competence, we do not sin 
when we wish to possess it. We are only wishing 
for so much property as the habits of life, acquired 
by education and the rank we hold in society, do 
in a sense make necessary ; and surely that cannot 
he wrong, A prince requires more for his support 
than a subject, and a man in a midling station than 
a peasant. Desires, cares, and exertions therefore 
directed to this object, are not only allowable but 
commendable. But, even though the object may 
be right, our care about it may exceed; winch is 
the -case when it so entangles our minds/oppresses 
our spirits and engrosses our time, as to make us 
unhappy, and unfit us for the duties we owe to God 
and our fellow-creatures. In this case, we are no 
doubt to be blamed, and ought to use our utmost 
endeavours to correct so threatening an evil.— 
Once more, 

Affluence, or such an abundance of the world as 
goes beyond subsistence and competence, is also a 
desirable good. Wherefore the taking prudent, 
honest, and temperate measures to acquire wealth, 
to the end our lives may be rendered more comfort- 
able, and we may have it in our power to minister 
to the necessities of others, is not to be censured. 
But if our object is, the gratifying our pride and 
other vain frivolous passions, our painful labours, 
however they may assume the specious character 
of prudent industry, must needs be offensive to GoiV 
and injurious to our best interests. 



Id® WORLDLY-MINDED IIEAH£Ii&. 

If men will at all events be rich r iioi regarding 
the will of Providence, or reflecting that riches ar© 
often an occasion of great folly anil sin ; if they 
will set their hearts on the world and put out all 
their strength in pursuit- of it, losing sight of God, 
their souls and a future state; the cares and anxie- 
ties that follow will bring a tremendous load of 
guilt upon their consciences, pierce them through 
with many sorrows, and, like thorns and briers, 
stifle in their breasts e\ery worthy, generous, and 
religious sentiment, — So much then may suffice 
for explaining what is meant by the cares of the 
world, and to shew how far they are or are not 
sinful. Their operation to obstruct the progress of 
religion in the heart, will come to- be considered 
hereafter.— "We go on now, 

SECONDLY, to the deceitfulness of riches, the 
next thing our Saviour mentions. 

His meaning is, that men are prone to reason 
mistakenly about riches : and the mode of speech 
he adopts more strongly and elegantly marks the 
idea, than if he had so expressed himself. Riches 
are, in a sense, themselves deceitful. They assume 
an appearance different from their real nature and 
use, and so the unwary observer is miserably im- 
posed upon. Our business then will be to consider 
the false reasonings of a depraved heart in refer- 
ence to — wealth itself — the mode of acquiring it — . 
and the term of enjoying it. 

1. As to wealth itself, men reason very mistaY 
tenly about it-. 






^•RXBLY-MIXDBD HEARERS. 191 

*f o treat riches with absolute contempt, as some 
affect to do, is against all sense and reason. They 
are the gift of God, and when applied to their 
proper use are a great blessing. They will pro- 
cure the necessaries and accommodations of life, 
and enable us, if we have hearts, to do a great 
deal of good. But alas ! so besotted are mankind* 
they suppose wealth hath an intrinsic excellence 
in it which it really hath not. A diamond, it is 
true, is more precious than a pebble, and gold 
than a clod of earth. But compare either of them 
with true wisdom and the exalted pleasures of re- 
ligion, and how mean and trifling do they appear! 

The value of riches is chiefly to be estimated 
by their use. But even here men greatly mistake 
it. Money will purchase a man delicate food, 
gorgeous apparel, stately mansions, splendid fur- 
niture, power, and some, kind of respect from his 
fellow creatures. But will it set him beyond the 
reach of sickness, pain, disappointment, vexation,' 
and contempt? Or, if he escapes these evils, can 
his wealth give him peace of mind, and fully satis- 
fy the large desires of his heart? .Will it make 
him completely and substantially happy? No. It 
is evident from the nature of the thing, and from 
the united testimony of all, sooner or later, that it 
will not. And yet so foolish, so mad are the gen- 
erality of mankind, that they reason and act as if 
they thought it would. With what eager desire, 
expectation and confidence do they look at these 
objects of sense ! And how do these baubles (for 



192 



WORLBiY-MlNBED ITEA&ERS. 



so I call them as compared with intellectual and 
divine pleasures) dazzle their eyes, confound their 
reason, pervert their consciences, set all their pas- 
sions on fire, and precipitate them, at the hazard 
of their everlasting interests, into practices the 
most fraudulent, cruel, and oppressive ! — Which 
leads me to observe further, that in regard, 

2. Of the mode of acquiring wealth men reason 
very mistakenly. 

Wealth does not fall to the lot of all, and the as- 
cent from a low station to that of opulence and 
honour, is usually slow, steep, and slippery. But 
multitudes, at the very setting off, mistake it. 
Their eager desire of success is by false reasoning 
converted into assurance of it. They will be rich, 
and their imagination instantly realizing the ob- 
ject, the measures that should be taken to secure 
it are deranged by precipitancy. Industry, inte- 
grity, prudence, and opportunity have a great in- 
fluence on worldly profession, but above all the 
smiles of Providence. 

In regard of the first of these there is perhaps 
no failure here : they exert every nerve, compass 
sea and land to gain their point. But truth and 
probity, or at least frankness and generosity, 
standing in their way, these must be thrust aside : 
so they miss their end, forgetting that honesty is 
the best policy. Or if conscience is not thus in 
the beginning laid asleep, the plans they frame, 
for want of coolness and consideration, are not 
properly digested or warily pursued, and so they 



WORLDLY-MINDED HEARERS. I§3 

foil. Or if this is not the case, opportunity — the 
favourable moment for carrying a purpose into ex- 
ecution — is missed. And then providence is over- 
looked ; their immoderate love of the world, which 
is their idol, shuts God out of their thoughts : or/ 
if they do at all advert to that influence on which 
the success of their endeavours depends, their rea- 
soning upon it is essentially wrong. So God is 
justly provoked to blast their schemes, or to pun* 
ish them yet more sensibly, by converting the suc- 
cess he permits them to meet with into a curse* 
and so making their riches their ruin. He that 
trusieth, says Solomon, in his riches, shall fall .* 
And they that will be rich, says the apostle, fall in- 
to temptation, and a snare, and into many foolish 
and hurtful lusts 9 which drown men in destruction, 
and perdition. For the love of money is the root of 
all evil, which while some coveted after, they have 
erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through 
W)ith many sorrows.]— Once more, 

3. Men reason deceitfully concerning the term 
qf enjoying the wealth they acquire. 

From their vehement passion for riches, and 
the prodigious expense they are at to procure them, 
it is evident they conceive highly both of the great- 
ness and the continuance of that enjoyment they ex- 
pect. For who would put out all his strength, and en- 
danger his happiness in another world, for a thing 
of naught, and which he knew would be no sooner 
got than lost? But men are deceived in botli 

* Prov. xi. 28. f 1 Tim. vi. 9, 10. 

IT 



i94 



WORLDLY-MINDED HEARERS. 



these particulars. As to the first, it has been ai 
ready shewn that it is not in the nature of wealth 
to satisfy the vast desires of the soul : let a man 
therefore possess ever so large an abundance of it, 
there will still remain a vacuity in his mind, and 
of consequence his riches cannot make him com- 
pletely happy. 

But suppose his idea of worldly enjoyment to be 
moderate and within the bounds of reason, even of 
such enjoyment he may be disappointed. Few 
Who have compassed their object, and acquired the 
exact portion of wealth they had marked out t# 
themselves, have found that comfort resulting frora 
it, which they naturally enough expected. The 
fruition hath been allayed by a variety of unfore- 
seen circumstances, if not wholly defeated by bodi- 
ly disorders, or troubles of a kind that riches can- 
not prevent or sooth. 

But admitting still further, that the enjoyment 
Exactly answers his expectations, yet how T short is 
the term of possession ! Very quickly perhaps 
upon his tasting the sweets of affluence, he is de- 
prived of it. By fraud, or force, or some other 
calamity, he is cast down from the eminence he 
had taken such pains to reach, into an abyss of 
poverty and wretchedness. Charge them, says th© 
apostle, that are rich in this world, not to trust in 
uncertain riches.* Or if no such accident befals 
Itim, yet while he is promising himself many years 



* X Tm. xi, 17* 



WORLDI.T_-MIXB£D HEADERS. 195 

enjoyment of his wealth, death is preparing to turn 
him out of possession. 

This has sometimes happened, and our Lord 
mentions it, in one of his parables, with a view te 
illustrate this very point of the deceitfulness of 
riches. The ground of a certain rich man brought 
forth plentifully. And he thought within himself, 
saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where 
to bestow my fruits? And he said. This will 1 do, 
I will pull down my barns and build greater, and 
there will I bestow my fruits, and my goods. And 
I will say to my soul, soul, thou hast much goods 
laid up for many ijears, take thine ease, eat, drink, 
and be merry. But God said unto him, thou fool 9 
this night thy soul shall be required of thee: thai 
whose shall those things be ivhich tliou hast prorid* 
ed^ Could any one reason more mistakenly about 
riches than this unhappy man did ? And how 
justly did he merit the character of a fool which 
our Lord gives him ! The number of such fools 
is not small : for though the like event may not 
have happened to the greater part of the rich, yet 
it is too evident that the majority look forward to 
futurity with the same sanguine expectations this 
man did. 

But suppose there are persons, here and there, 
who hold the peaceable possession of their wealth, 
with a relish for all the comforts it can procure 
*hem, for twenty or thirty years 5 how short is the 



196 VfORlDXT-MISTDED HEARERS. 

term! And will a man of sense say, that a few 
instances of this sort will justify the wild reason- 
ings and confident hopes of him, who sets out on 
the rapid career of accumulating wealth at the ex- 
pense of ease and health, if not of conscience? cer- 
tainly not. How great then is the deceitfulness of 
riches/-— It remains now to consider the third and 
last thing our Saviour mentions, as an obstruction 
to the due operation of God's word on the heart, 
and that is, 

THIRDLY, The pleasures of this life, or as 
Mark expresses it, the lusts of other things. 

Here we need not be very particular, for as 
riches are the means of procuring pleasures and 
most generally coveted with that view, the samo 
folly and criminality we have charged to the ac- 
count of the avaricious, is, with a little variation 
of circumstances, to he imputed likewise to the 
sensualist. Pleasure indeed abstractedly consider- 
ed is a real good: the desire of it is congenial 
with our nature, and cannot be eradicated without 
the destruction of our very existence. This is not 
therefore what our Lord condemns. He well 
knew that there are passions and appetites proper 
to men as men, that the moderate gratification of 
them is necessary to their happiness, and of con- 
sequence that the desire of such gratification is not 
sinful. But the pleasure he prohibits is that which 
results from the indulgence of irregular desires, I 
mean such as are directed to wrong objects, and 
such as are excessive in their degree. 



WKKULY-MIN&ED HEARE&S. 197 

With respect to^the former, men are universally 
agreed that they are criminal ; offensive to God, 
injurious to society, and destructive to him who 
indulges them. The murderer, adulterer, and 
others. that might be mentioned, we behold with 
abhorrence. But it is the latter kind of pleasures 
our Saviour has here chiefly in view, those which 
?.re in themselves innocent but become criminal by 
excess. And it is from this quarter that danger is 
most to be apprehended, in regard of the general- 
ly of mankind. For as it is difficult in many 

ases to draw the line exactly between moderation 
and excess, men have a thousand ways of excusing 
what is wrong, and of flattering themselves that 
their pleasures are innocent when they are really 
hurtful. There are, however, certain rules by 
which every one may be enabled to decide upon 
this question for himself, provided his passion* 
aid appetites are not under an undue influence. 
Innocent pleasures no doubt become criminal, 
when instead of invigorating they relax and en- 
feeble our spirits $ when they take up too much of 
our time, and so obstruct the regular discharge of 
duty ; when they are an occasion of evil to others ; 
and, above all, when they so steal upon our affec- 
tions, as to indispose us to the more noble and re 
fined enjoyments of virtue and religion. 

And now it were endless to enumerate the many 
particulars tiiat fall under the general character 
of the pleasures of this life. Nature has provided 
objects for all the senses wonderfully adapted to 

17* 



198 WORLDLY-MINDED HEARERS-. 

afford them deliglit ; and men have employed their 
utmost wit and ingenuity so to. combine, arrange? 
and diversify them as to heighten and refine the 
delight Hence all the scenes of splendour that 
dazzle the eye, all the- soft and harmonious sounds 
that captivate the ear, and all the highly-flavoured 
delicacies that please the taste. Hence the amuse- 
ments, recreations, and diversions of various des- 
criptions that every where abound, and among 
people of every rank and condition. These are 
the things our Saviour speaks of which men lust 
after. That they may have the means of procur- 
ing them, is the end they propose by the pains they 
take to get rich | and to the enjoyment of them 
they devote all the time they can sequester from 
their worldly labours. Pleasure is the grand 
thing, their happiness is bound up in it. To the 
gratification of this passion every thing must sub- 
mit. So they lose sight not only of God, but of 
allintellectual enjoyments, and at length through 
excess become incapable of relishing those very 
pleasures which they account the chief good. 

Having thus taken a general view of the cares, 
riches, and pleasures of the world, our next busi- 
ness is to shew how they obstruct the due opera- 
tion of God's word on the heart. But this we 
shall dismiss to the next opportunity, and close 
what has been said with a serious address to three, 
sorts of persons, — the careful — the covetous — and* 
the voluptuous. 



WORLDLY-MINDED HEARERS, 1&9 

1. As to those of the first description, the carefuh 
Your case, my friends, is truly pitiable, and all 
charitable allowance ought to be made for the un- 
avoidable infirmities of human nature. It is not 
affluence, but subsistence, or at most competence,, 
that is your object. You are, however, not wholly 
inexcusable. Prudence and industry are amiable 
virtues : but your anxiety, exceeding the bounds of 
reason, fe offensive to God and injurious to your- 
selves, and therefore deserving of censure. It in- 
volves in it a criminal distrust of the faithfulness 
and goodness of divine providence;, and this sure- 
ly is very disingenuous in those who fear God, for 
to such I am now more especially addressing my- 
self. What ! have you entrusted your immortal 
interests to the care of the blessed God, and can 
you hesitate a moment upon the question respect- 
ing your temporal concerns? Have you been 
hitherto provided with the necessaries of life, and 
can you suppose your heavenly Father, who know- 
eth that you have need of these things, will desert 
you for time to come ? Besides, this undue soli- 
citude about the world is hurtful to you in many 
respects. Instead of forwarding, it rather ob- 
structs your affairs. It makes you unhappy, rest- 
less, and miserable. And 5 what is worse, it is a 
great hindrance to your progress in religion, as 
will hereafter be more largely shewn. 

Let me beseech you, then, to be upon your guard 
against this evil temper. Resist every temptation 
to it. Check the first risings of it. Put the best 



face you can upon your affairs. Oppose your de- 
serts to your wants, and the good you actually do 
possess to that you are in the anxious pursuit of. 
Give diligence to make your calling and election 
sure. Cherish in your breast a divine faith. Be 
thoroughly established in the doctrine of a particu- 
lar providence. Frequently call to mind the interpo- 
sitions of that providence in your favour. In a 
word, be careful for nothing : but in eisery thing, by 
prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your 
requests be made known unto God.* 

£. As to ttie avaricious. 

Permit me, sirs, to expostulate with you a mo- 
ment upon the extreme absurdity of your reason- 
ing, and the horrid criminality of your temper and 
jonduct. It is not subsistence, competence, or 
affluence only you covet: it is the world, the whole 
world. But the object is not to be attained, or if 
it were, it would not satisfy. How vairi then your 
desires J But your expectations are not boundless 
like your desires, they are held within narrower 
limits. Yet we may venture to affirm they are ex- 
travagant : for the desires of the avaricious have 
such an influence on their hopes, that it is scarce 
possible their expectations should be moderate* 
You sanguinely hope for an object, which will very 
probably elude your pursuit ; or if compassed, will 
not afford you the comfort you promise yourself 
from it. How vain then are your expectations*' 

* Philip, iv. 6i 



W0M.D1T-MINDED HEADERS. 201 

fiut surh is your love of the world, you are resolv- 
ed at all adventures to make it your grand object. 
Be it so then. Carry your resolution into prac- 
tice. Put out all your strength. Spend the great- 
er part of your life in the pursuit. Leap over the 
mounds of honour and justice. And at length 
seize your prey. But what, what do you gain ? 
Your gain is loss ; the loss of health, peace, repu- 
tation, conscie-nre, life, and — Oh tremendous 
thought! — -your immortal soul. 

Nor should it be thought strange that the love of 
the world is punished with the loss of the soul: 
it is most deserving of such punishment; indeed 
the latter is t|ie natural and necessary result of the 
former. What wretched disingenuity, to love the 
world more than God, that is, to love him not at 
all ! — to prostitute the bounty of your sovereign* to 
the purpose of dethroning him ! a crime that wants 
a name for it. And how is it possible that a soul 
thus depraved should be happy ? Such depravity, 
if not cured, necessarily brings after it misery.— 
How vain then are all your desires, your expecta- 
tions, and your exertions L that we could con- 
vince you of your folly and sin ! that we could 
stop you in your mad career ! 

But their conduct, who under a profession of re- 
ligion make the world their object, is still more 
preposterous, base, and ruinous. What ! will you, 
sirs, having heard the word, and to appearance 
received it into your hearts, suffer the briers and 
thorns to grow up with the seed and choke it ? yea, 



30£ WOEXDLY-MINirED HEARERS? 

more than this, cherish the noxious weeds of de- 
testable avarice ? If so, what may you reasonably 
expect, as the fruit of this your baseness and perfidy, 
but disappointment and sorrow in this world, and 
the wrath of God in that to come? Can you won- 
der, resolving at all adventures to be rich that you fall 
into temptation, and a snare, and info many foolish 
and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction 
and perdition? For the love of rmney is the root of 
all evil, which while some covered after they have 
erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through 
with many sorrows.* Hear, O hear with solemn 
attention, the sentence of provoked justice and 
abused mercy denounced upon you. Go to now ye 
rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall 
some upon yon. Four riches are corrupted, and your 
garments moth-eaten. Your gold and silver is can- 
Jiered, and the rust of them shall be a witness 
against you* and shall eat your flesh as it were 
fre.\ Would to God, we could awaken you ta re- 
pcntatice ere it is too late ! 

But, while we are dissuading men from the love 
of the world, have we no object to hold up to their 
view of superior value and excellence, to captivate 
their attention and engage their pursuit? We 
Lave. Hear the voice of Wisdom, listen to the 
gracious entreaties of him who has immense wealth 
at his disposal, and a heart freely to bestow it on 
all who in earnest seek it Hove them that tm& 

* 1 Tiai. \u 9. 10, f James v, 1, 2, 3 a 



WOMJIXY-MIirnEB HEAfcEKS. &I& 

me, and those that seek me early shall find me. Mich- 
es and honour are with me; yea, durable riches and 
?ig J teousness. My fruit is better than gold, yea 9 
than fine gold, and my revenue than choice silver. 
Head in the way of righteousness, in the midst of 
the paths of judgment That I may cause those m 
that love me, to inherit substance; and I will fill 
their treasures.* — I have only now to address my- 
self in a few words, 

3. To the voluptuous. 

The pleasures of the world are your object. But 
let me beseech you, sirs, to consider a moment the 
extreme folly, sin, and danger of indulging this 
passion. It sensualizes the mind, and renders 
it incapable of those intellectual improvements 
and refined pleasures for which it was original- 
ly formed. It debases men to the rank of tht 
brute creation. It brings them into contempt 
among the wise, virtuous, and good. It robs 
them of their time which was given them for the 
important purposes of glorifying God, serving 
their generation, and preparing for another world. 
It precipitates them into extravagancies which of- 
ten prove fatal, not only to their character, but 
their worldly prosperity, and their very existence. 
It brings a tremendous load of guilt upon their 
consciences, arms death with invincible terrours, 
and plunges them in all the miseries of that world, 
^vliere this passion cannot be gratified, and where 

• ProY. viii. 17—21, 



£04 WORLDLY-MINDED HEARERS. 

there is not a drop of water to cool the parched 
tongue. For the truth of what we thus affirm, we 
appeal to the dictates of sound reason, to the sen- 
tence of scripture, to the united testimony of all 
wise and good men, to your own painful feelings 
in'an hour of satiety and disgust, and to the con- 
cessions and exclamations of an infinite multitude 
ef profligate sinners in the decline of life, and at the 
hour of death. Nor can you wonder that such 
should he the effect of the lawless gratification of 
brutal appetites and passions. How fit that men 
should eat of the fruits of their own way, and be 
filed with their own devices /* How fit that 
they who have been lovers of pleasure more than 
lovers of God,] should lie down in sorrow, \ and 
mourn at the last when their flesh and their body 
are consumed /§ 

Let me then beseech you, ye who have been 
hitherto given to pleasures]] and have lived deli- 
tiously^ seriously to consider these tilings. Why 
should you throw 7 the reins upon the neck of your 
lusts, and wilfully resolve upon your own ruin ? 
Why should you tempt down the vengeance of 
almighty God upon your head, by .ungratefully 
abusing the bounty of his providence? Is suicide 
no sin? Are the pleasures of sense a valuable 
consideration for the loss of the soul I — But if, af- 
ter all bur remonstrances and expostulations, ye 

* Prov. i. 3*. f n Tim. Hi. 4. | Isai. I. 11. 

•§ Prov. v. 11. - J Isai. slvii. 8. <| Rev. xviii. f. 



WORLDLY-MINDED HEADERS, 205 

are determined to walk in the ways of your heart 
and in the sight of your eyes, know ye that for these 
things God will bring you intojudgmen t.* 

Thus would we fain stem the torrent of this 
wretched insanity, bring men to their senses, and 
convince them that by an excessive love of pleasure 
they are entailing upon themselves substantial 
misery. But do we mean to annihilate all idea of 
pleasure, and to throw every possible obstruction 
in your way to happiness ? — that would be cruel 
indeed! No. The reverse is our object. We 
wish to persuade you of a plain and most interest- 
ing truth, attested by the word of God and the ex- 
perience of the best of men, that religion is true 
wisdom, and that her ways are ways of pleasant- 
mess, and all her paths are peace.] Her form is 
most beautiful, however she may have been mis- 
represented by prejudice, and her counsels most 
soft and engaging, however rejected by a vain 
world. She hath builded her house, she hath hewn 
out her seven pillars. She hath killed her beasts 9 
she hath mingled her wine ; she hath also furnished 
her table. She hath sent forth her maidens, she crieth 
upon the highest places of the city. Whoso is simple s 
let him turn in hither : as for him that wanteth un- 
derstanding, she saith to him, Come, eat of my bread, 
and drink of the wine which I have mingled. For- 
sake the foolish and live ; and go in the way of «m- 
lerstanding*\ Oh ! may you be persuaded to ac- 

* Eccles. xi. 9. f Prov. iii. 17. \ Prov. is. 1 — 6, 

13 



206 WOULDLY-MINDED HEARERS. 

cept of her generous invitation, and to partake of 
this delicious entertainment, — an entertainment 
prepared at an expense that surpasses all human 
imagination! So will you be convinced, by your 
own happy experience, that he who renounces the 
pleasures of sin for the pleasures of religion, makes 
ian exchange to his unspeakable advantage in the 
present life, as well as to his infinite emolument 
•f 9 the world to come* 



WORLDLY-MINDED HEARERS, £07 



PART II. 



&OME seeds, our Saviour tells us in the text* 
.fell among thorns: and the thorns sprung up and 
ehoked them,* This figurative account of the 
worldly-minded hearer we have explained, 
assisted by our Lord's own exposition of it in the 
following words, He that received seed among the 
thorns, is he that heareth the word : and the care of 
this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the 
word, and he becometh unfruitful.] The man of 
this character receives the word, professes it, and 
for some considerable time, if not to the end of his 
life, perseveres in his profession. He is, however, 
unfruitful. The causes of his unfruitfulness are 
now under consideration. These our Lord hath 
particularly mentioned, namely, the cares, riches 
and pleasures of the world. — Of each of these we 
have proposed therefore to give some general ac- 
count — to shew you how an undue attention to 
them obstructs the operation of God's word on the 
heart — and to represent to you the sad event of 
such intimate commerce with the world. The 
first was the subject of the former sermon : and 
we go on, 

* Matt, xiii. 7. £ Verse 22. 



ZOS WOKILOLY-MINDEB HEARERS. 

II. To enquire how the cares, riches, and plea- 
sures of the world operate to prevent the salutary 
effect of God's word on the hearts of men. 

There is no profiting by the word we hear with-* 
out duly weighing and considering it. Now there 
are three things necessary to our practising the 
great duty of consideration with effect- — Leisure — 
Composure and Inclination to the business. But the 
mires, riches, and pleasures of the world deprive 
3iien of all these, or at least make considerable en- 
eroachments on them. 

FIRST, Leisure* 

Ground choked with briers and thorns affords 
Hot room for the seed cast upon it to expand and 
grow.* In like manner he whose attention is 
wholly taken up with secular affairs, has not lei- 
sure for consideration. He can scarce find time 
for hearing the word, much less for reading the 
bible, meditating on divine truths, and examining 
Iiis heart. And however good men, when employ- 
ed about their worldly business, can every now 
and then advert to the concerns of their souls, and 
frequently in the course of the day, dart an affec- 
tionate prayer to heaven ; it is quite otherwise with 
the unhappy man whose case we are describing. 
Each avenue of his heart is so closely occupied by 
the world, that not a serious thought can enter, 
except by stealth or surprise. 

Say, you who are oppressed with the cares, or 
absorbed in the pleasures of life, whether this is 
not the fact ? What is it first catches your im- 



WORLDLY-MINDED HEARERS, 209 

agination when you awake in the morning? What 
is it engrosses your attention all the day ? What 
is it goes with you to your bed, and follows you 
ihrough the restless hours of night? What is it 
you are constantly thinking of at home, abroad, 
and in the house of God ? It is the world. Oh 
sad ! Not a day, not an hour, scarce a moment in 
reserve for a meditation on God, your soul, and 
an eternal world ! And can religion exist where 
it is never thought of, or gain ground in a heart 
where it is but now and then adverted to ? As 
well might a man expect to live without suste- 
nance, or get strong without digesting his food. 
That then which deprives men of time for con- 
sideration is essentially injurious to religion. And 
such is the charge our Saviour exhibits against the 
cares, riches, and pleasures of the world : for the 
truth of which we appeal not only to the bulk of 
mankind, but to multitudes who profess religion, 
and flatter themselves with a notion that they are 
in the fair way to heaven. 

Time is the gift of God, a boon of inestimable 
value: what pity it should be abused or trifled 
with ! I say not that it is to be wholly employed 
in meditation and devotion. That man mistakes 
religion who, under a notion of exalted piety, 
turns his back on the world, and retires into ob- 
scurity. There is a time for every thing under 
the sun. A time for prudent consideration about 
our temporal interests. A time for honest labour, 
to procure a subsistence, and to acquire a compe- 
ls* 



£10 WOBJJDLY-MINDKD HEARERS. 

tence. A time for food and sleep. And a tirrle 
for recreation and amusement. We may enjoy 
what God has given us as well as labour for it. 

But upon what principle is religion to be de- 
prived of its just claims ? If it is the most impor- 
tant of ?Al concerns, and if it cannot be forwarded 
without consideration and prayer, it has a just ti- 
tle to a convenient share of our time for those pur- 
poses. God has appointed one day in seven for 
our repose and his worship, and shall worldly anx- 
ieties and pleasures defraud both him and us of our 
right ? He hath required us to allot a portion of 
each day for the devotion of the family and closet* 
and shall this portion though small be avariciously 
engrossed by secular affairs ? It is the voice of rea- 
son, that our thoughts should every now and then 
advert to the concerns of our souls ; and shall the 
perplexing cares and vain amusements of life cru- 
elly exact of us every moment that passes ? What 
are such horrid depredations as these on time bet- 
ter than sacrilege ? and what the tamely submit- 
ting to them than suicide? — But to proceed. The 
world not only deprives men of time and opportu- 
nity for consideration, but also, 

SECONDLY, Of Composure. 

By composure I mean that calmness or self-pos- 
session, whereby we are enabled to attend soberly 
and without interruption to the business we are 
about. Consideration implies this in it : for how 
is it possible that a man should duly consider a 
subject, whether civil or religious, coolly reason 



WORLDLY-MINDED HEARERS. 211 

upon it, and thoroughly enter into the spirit of it; 
if his mind is all the while occupied with a thou- 
sand other things foreign to the matter before him ? 
In order therefore to our doing justice to any ques- 
tion of importance, we must rid our minds of all 
impertinent thoughts, be self-collected, and fix our 
attention steadily to the point. How difficult this 
is I need not say. Studious people feel the difficulty ; 
and in regard of religion the best of men are sen- 
sible of their weakness in this respect, and deeply 
lament if* But where the world gains the ascen- 
dant this difficulty is increased, and in some in- 
stances becomes almost insuperable. Let me here 
describe to you, in a few words, the almost inces- 
sant hurry and confusion of their minds, who an- 
swer to the three characters in our text of the care- 
ful, the covetous, and the voluptuous. So you will 
clearly see how impossible it is for persons thus 
circumstanced, to pay that attention to relTgious 
subjects which is necessary in order to their being 
profited by them. 

1. The case of him who is swallowed up with 
the anxious cares of life is truly lamentable. 

It is not riches the unhappy man aims at, but a 
competence, or perhaps a mere subsistence. The 
dread of being reduced with his family to extreme 
poverty, harrows up his very soul. The horrid 
spectres of contempt, famine, and a prison, haunt 
his imagination. He fancies himself turned out of 
his dwelling, his substance torn from him by mer- 
ciless creditors, his children crying for bread, and 



£12 WORLDLY-MINDED HEARERS. 

be and they just on the point of starving. To es- 
cape these miseries, or to hold them at a distance, 
he racks his invention, exerts all his powers, and 
allows himself scarce time to eat or sleep. These 
sad thoughts, engendered by gloominess and timid- 
ity, strengthened by a sinful distrust of providence, 
and promoted by the artful suggestions of satan, 
follow him day and night, embarrass his mind, 
prey upon his spirits, and make him w retched to 
the last degree. Like a distracted man now he is 
looking this way, and then that; now leaking a 
fruitless effort, and then on the point of giving up 
all for lost. How deplorable this state of the 
mind I 

And how incapable is a man, thus circumstanced, 
of coolly thinking on the great things of religion ! 
Does he attempt in his retirement to fix his atten- 
tion to some divine subject? he instantly fails in 
the attempt, cares like a wild deluge rush in upon 
his soul, and break all the measures he had taken 
to obtain a little respite from his trouble. Does he 
go down upon his knees to pray ? He has scarce 
littered a sentence, before he is thrown into confu- 
sion by disordered thoughts and wandering imagi- 
nations; so that the dread of affronting God by 
offering the sacrifice of fools, obliges him to de- 
sist. Does he go to the house of God ? thither his 
anxieties follow him, stand like so many centinels 
at each avenue of his soul, to shut out all instruc- 
tion from his ear and all comfort from his heart; 
so that he s:oes from thence as uninformed and im- 



WORLDLY-MINDED HEAfcEBS. 21 & 

Ttappy as he came thither. Thus do the cares of 
the world choke the word, and choke the man hint* 
self, as Luke expresses it : # like thorns and bri- 
ers, they pierce and suffocate him, at once torment 
his heart and enfeeble his powers. And though 
they may not, in every instance, proceed to the 
lengths we have represented, yet it is easy to im- 
agine from what has been said how they prove, in 
oases less distressing, mighty obstructions to the 
salutary effect of the word on the heart. 

£. The like effect hath an eager desire after rich- 
es to disqualify men for consideration. 

Avaricious desires may not indeed be attended 
with the anguish just described, yet they no less 
effectually disable the powers of the soul for the 
right discharge of religious duties. Wealth be- 
coming a man's object, and its deceitful charma 
getting fast hold on his heart, the prize will be con- 
tinually in his eye, and the means of acquiring it 
engross all his thoughts. His speculations, rea- 
sonings, deliberations, and efforts, will all be di- 
rected to this point. Now he is laying his plaiv 
adjusting each circumstance, considering their va- 
rious and united effect, and providing for all con- 
tingencies that may arise and thwart his views. 
And then you sec him carrying his plans into ex- 
ecution, with unremitting ardour, setting each en- 
gine at work, and looking forward with eager ex- 
pectation to the event. If he succeeds, his passion 

* Luke via, 41. 



214 



•WORLDLY-MINDED HEARERS. 



for wealth collects fresh strength, and without al- 
lowing him to pause a while to enjoy the fruit of 
his labour, Dushes him on to- some further exertion. 
If he fails, the failure stimulates him to some bold- 
er enterprize. And thus he is employed from day 
today; his thoughts incessantly wandering from 
one object of sense to another, his invention perpe- 
tually on the rack, and his passions, like the raging 
sea, in a continual agitation. 

Now, amidst this tumult of the niind, how can a 
man think soberly of the great truths and duties of 
religion, of the state of his soul and the concerns 
of another world? If we could suppose him in the 
least degree well affected to religion (which in- 
deed is scarce imaginable) it were yet almost im- 
possible for him to pay proper attention to it. Per- 
haps the form is not wholly laid aside : but what is 
it more than a form ? He draw eth nigh to God with 
his mouth and hanoureth him with his lips, but his 
heart is far from hinu* When on his knees he is 
still in the world : when he is worshipping God in 
his family he is still pursuing his gain. His closet 
is an accompting house, and his church an ex- 
change. Surely then our Lord knew what he said, 
when to the astonishment of his disciples he af- 
firmed, that it is easier for a camel to go through 
the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into 
the kingdom of God.]— From what has been said 
It is easy to sec also, 



* Matt, xv, 8, 



f Mark x. 



WORLDLY-MINDED HEARERS. £lS 

3. How an eager attention to worldly pleasures 
jnust have the like effect, to render the mind inca- 
pable of serious consideration. 

Scenes of splendour, gaiety, and sensual delight 
are ever before the eyes of men of this character* 
their thoughts are incessantly employed about 
these objects, realizing the fancied bliss they have 
in prospect before it is actually enjoyed, devising 
the necessary means of acquiring it, pressing on to 
it with ardent desire, grudging every moment that 
holds them back from it, and reckoning no time too 
long for the possession of what they account th# 
chief good. 

And what is the effect in regard of religion? 
Do these sons of pleasure vouchsafe at any time to 
present themselves among the sons of God in the 
temple of devotion? one may easily imagine what 
kind of offering they bring with them; not that of 
a willing heart, but of an hour sequestered against 
the will from their extravagant pursuits. Do they 
ever retire for a few moments to read and pray ? 
one may affirm, though not admitted into the secret 
counsels of their hearts, that they read without 
understanding and pray without devotion. For 
how is it possible that a mind thus hurried, thut 
dissipated, thus intoxicated with vain amusements* 
should be capable of thinking soberly of God and 
a future world, of death, judgment, and eternity ? 
Communion with heaven amidst this riot of the 
mind, would be a greater solecism than philosophi- 
sing at a feast of Bacchus, or demonstrating a 



SI 6 -W6KEB£Y-MINfcE» HEAREtlS* 

problem at a masquerade. But I forbear. — There 
remains one thing more to be considered, in or* 
dor to shew how the cares, riches, and pleasures 
of this life operate, to prevent the salutary effect 
of the word on the heart. They not only deprive 
men of time and composure for serious considera- 
tion, but, 

THIRDLY, Of all Inclination to it. 

Where indeed the love of the world prevails, 
let a man's profession be ever so splendid, there is 
no real religion; so that such an one neither has 
nor ever had a disposition to serious consideration. 
But what I mean is to shew, that an eager atten- 
tion to the things of this life confirms the habit of 
inconsideration, and tends, where there is an apti- 
tude to meditation, to weaken and deprave it. A 
mind wholly occupied with the objects of sense, is 
not only estranged from the great realities of reli- 
gion, but averse to them. As it has neither leisure 
nor calmness for sublime contemplations, so it has 
no taste or relish for them. The carnal mind is 
enmity against God.* And the more carnal it 
grows by incessant commerce with the world, the 
more does that prejudice and enmity increase. 
What violence are such men obliged to put upon 
themselves, if at any time, by some extraordinary 
circumstance, they are prevailed on to think of the 
concerns of their souls ! The business is not only 
awkward, as they are unaccustomed to it, but it is 

* Romans viii. f. 



WORXDLY-MINBEB HEAHERS* 21? 

exceeding irksome and painful. And something 
of this good men themselves feel, when captivated 
for a while by the cares and pursuits of the world. 
What a strange backwardness do they complai* 
otto holy and devout exercises! In their slum- 
bers, though not fallen into a deep sleep, they have 
little heart for those vigorous exercises of the 
mind which a rapid progress in religion demands. 
They have put off their coat, as the church ex- 
presses it in the Song of Solomon, 2 * and liow 
shall they put it on J 

Now if a hearty inclination to any business is 
necessary to a man's considering it, and so being 
in a capacity to pursue it with attention and suc- 
cess; whatever ten Is to abate that inclination, or 
to confirm the opposite aversion, is essentially in- 
jurious to such business. In like manner, with re- 
spect to the great concerns of religion, the cares, 
riches, and pleasures of the world, by wholly occu- 
pying the mind, indispose it to consideration, and 

so choke the word and render it unfruitful And 

now this leads us to consider, 

III. The" sad event of such undue commerce 
with the world. The unhappy man not hav- 
ing leisure, cahnness, or inclination to atteud to 
the word 5 neither understands it, believes it, or is 
obedient to it: and continuing in this wretched state 
of ignorance, impenitence, and unbelief, he is final- 
ly lost. 

* Cant. v. 3. 
19 



^18 'WQRX.DLY-MINDED BEAUERS, 

1. He understands not the word of the king- 
dom. 

And indeed how should he, taken up as he al- 
most constantly is with thinking, reasoning, and 
caring about other matters ? Or if he has a specula- 
tive acquaintance with the truths of religion, it is 
not, it cannot be experimental and practical. Ah ! 
how ignorant is he of God, his perfection, ways 
and works! Of himself, his capacities and inter- 
ests, his true state and condition, the plague of his 
heart, and the danger to which he is exposed ! Of 
Christ, the glories of his person, redemption, and 
kingdom! Of the beauty of holiness, the refined 
pleasures of religion, and the joys and triumphs of 
heaven ! These are things which the objects of 
sense thrust far away from his view, so that he 
seldom if ever spends a thought about them. And 
however sagacious he is in the management of his 
temporal affairs, he is a perfect fool in his concep- 
tions and reasonings about matters of infinitely 
greater moment. Like a wretch immured in a 
cell he contents himself with viewing by the help 
©f a glimmering taper, the childish figures his fan- 
cy has chalked out around him ; while the man of 
wisdom walks in the light of broad day, viewing 
the stupendous works of God, by the aid of that 
great luminary the sun of righteousness, to his 
Infinite joy and emolument.— And as he under- 
stands not the word of the kingdom, so, 

5. Neither does he believe it. 



■WORLDLY-MINDED HEAKEHS* 219 

It is not his professing it that proves he believes 
it. Nor does his admitting it all to be true, in the 
Cold, lifeless manner of the generality of people, 
constitute him a believer in the sense of the new 
testament. No, he who believes the gospel to the 
salvation of his soul, must enter into the spirit of 
it. But how can that man be supposed to have en- 
tered into the spirit of the gospel, of whose heart 
the God of this world has taken quiet possession ? 
To a mind, wherein this wretched demon lives, 
reigns, and domineers, the faith as well as the 
knowledge of divine truth is an utter stranger* 
And O how deplorable the character ! — to profess 
the faith, and at the same time to be no better than 
an infidel ! — to take pains to persuade himself 
and all about him that he believes, and yet to re- 
main under the dominion of unbelief and sin !— ■ 
Again, 

3. Not rightly understanding or believing the 
word of the kingdom, he is not obedient to it. 

Fruit is not to be expected from seed sown 
among thorns, at least not good fruit or much of 
it. The ears will be, like those in. Pharaoh's 
dream, thin, withered, and blasted with the east 
wind. So Luke expressly says,^ he brings no fruit 
to perfection. If you look for the fruit of the Spirit, 
such as love, joy, peace," long-suffering, gentleness, 
goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance,] you will 
be miserably disappointed. None of these divine 

* Chap. viii. 14 f Ga k v - 22, 23, 



mo 



WOBLBI.Y-MINDED HEAREHS* 



graces live in his heart, and shine in his life : at 
best you will discover only the bare semblance of 
them, a kind of fruit unpleasing to the eye, and 
disgusting to the taste. Amidst the cares, riches, 
and pleasures of the warld, the faint, dwindling, im- 
potent efforts of something like religion are quick- 
ly suffocated and lost. — Here perhaps it will be 
expected, that we enter into a particular consider- 
ation of this beautiful and striking expression of 
our Saviour's — they bring no fruit to perfection. — 
But as it will be the business of the next discourse, 
to give a particular account of the nature and 
quality of the fruit required of every genuine 
christian, we shall enlarge no further here. — And 

MOW, 

4. And lastly, What is the final issue of all? 
Why, the man himself, as well as the seed, is chok- 
ed ; for so Luke expresses it. # 

And Oh ! how sad, after a profession protracted 
to a considerable length, not renounced by avowed 
aposlacy, or disgraced by any gross act of immor- 
ality ; to miss of heaven and all its joys and tri- 
umphs, and to be turned into hell with the wicked, 
and all the nations that forget God!] tremen- 
dous, to receive the curse of the barren fig-tree 
from his lips whose name you have professed ! to be 
driven like chaff before the wind ! and not having 
brought forth good fruit to be hewn down and cast 
into the fire! 



* Luke viii. 14. 



f Psalm ix, 17. 



WOBliDLY-MlKDED HEAHEHS. £21 

Thus have we considered the cares, riches, and 
pleasures of the world ; their operation on that 
class of hearers our Lord means here to describe ; 
and the sad event of all. Let us now close the 
whole with some seasonable exhortations. 

1. Let the professors of religion have no more 
to do with the world than duty clearly requires. 

This is sound, wholesome, scriptural advice. 
The bible does not teach us to affect preciseness 
and singularity, to assume a severe, gloomy, ascet- 
ic countenance and manners, and peevishly to 
withdraw ourselves from society and the civil con- 
cerns of life : yet surely it does require more of us 
than escaping the gross pollutions of the world, 
and the preserving a good sober moral character. 
Otherwise I know not what tolerable rational ac- 
count to give of the following precepts — If any 
man will be my disciple, let him deny himself, and 
take up his cross and follow me* — Whosoever* will 
be a friend of the world, is the enemy of God] — Be 
not conformed to this world ; but be ye transformed 
by the renewing of your mind\ — Come out from 
among them, and be ye separate, and touch not the un- 
clean thing§ — Rave no fellowship with the unfruit- 
ful wor&s of darkness\\ — See that ye walk circum- 
spectly, not as fools but as wise*ft — Abstain from all 
appearance of evil*— A christian, especially if he be 

* Matt. xvi. 24/ f James iv. 4. \ Rom. xii. 2, 

§ 2 Cor. vi. in || Ephes. v. 11 4 Ver. 15. 



a 1 Thess. v. 22. 



^19^ 



£££ WORLDLY-MINDED HEARERS. 

a good natured man, is in greater danger from com- 
pliances of a doubtful ill tendency, than from temp- 
tations to direct immoralities. The latter he will 
know how easily to resist, while the former may 
"jirove a snare to him before he is aware. Heaven 
is the good man's object* and in order to imbibe a 
spirit suited to that state, he will find the discipline 
of the heart a necessary and painful business; but 
Iiow that can be carried on amidst the drudgery of 
avaricious pursuits, or the levity of vain amuse- 
ments, I am at a loss to say. Let us then endure 
hardness as good soldiers of Christ; and as we wisli 
to please him who has chosen us to be soldiers 9 let us 
take heed how we entangle ourselves with the affairs 
of this life.^ 

2. If thorns before we are aware get in* let us 
instantly root them out. 

The best of men are exposed to temptation* and 
too often foiled though not overcome by it. The 
christian like an eagle soars to heaven, yet his 
flight may on a sudden be impeded by the grossness 
of the atmosphere through which he passes ; and 
though like that prince of birds, he has an eye 
that can look at the sun, yet his eye ni^y for a 
moment be captivated by the false glare of terres- 
trial objects. But he will quickly, animated by 
the grace of God, turn away his eye from behold- 
ing vanity, and with redoubled vigour renew his 
flight to heaven. He has a taste for sublime en- 
joyments, and that taste, though it may be \n a de- 
gree vitiated; cannot be wholly lost. 
* 2Tim.ii, 3,4, 



WORLDLY-MINDED HEARERS. ££S 

Consider then, O men of God, your high cha- 
racter and noble birth. Walk worthy of the vo- 
cation wherewith you are called. Demean your- 
selves in a manner becoming your holy profession 
and glorious prospects. If the objects of sense, 
before you are aware, catch your attention and 
captivate your passions, disentangle yourselves as 
quickly as possible from the charm. Hesitate not 
a moment. Exert all the power of christian reso- 
lution. Tear up by the roots the briers and thorns 
of worldly cares, and the poisonous weeds of fas- 
cinating pleasures. They are of luxuriant growth, 
and if not instantly checked and by severe disci- 
pline destroyed, they will overspread the heart, 
choke every pious sentiment and virtuous affec- 
tion, and in the end create you infinite trouble and 
anguish. No time is to be lost. The further you 
advance in a course of life, which though not di- 
rectly criminal yet tends to embarrass your mind, 
weaken your graces, and indispose you to the du- 
ties of religion ; the more difficult will be your re- 
treat. Oh ! how have some good men, in the close 
of life, lamented in the bitterness. of their spirit 
the advantage which the world has gained over 
them ; and warned those about them to beware of 
the encroachments, which this insidious enemy im- 
perceptibly makes upon the human heart! 

3. Receive the good seed. 

It is not enough that the ground is cleared of 
noxious weeds, if it be not sown with the proper 
grap, neither is it sufficient to guard against the 



£24 WQRMLY-MISFBEB HEAKEKS. 

corrupt maxims, customs, and manner3 of the 
world, if our hearts are not impregnated with divine 
truth* What that is we have already shewn you. 
It is the word of the kingdom, the pure gospel of 
Jesus • Christ. We exhort you therefore to hear 
the word diligently, to take pains to understand it, 
to yield a cordial assent to it, to lay it up in your 
memories, and to revolve it frequently in your 
minds. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly 
in all wisdom.* Receive with meekness the en- 
grafted word, which is able to save your souls.] 
And be assured it will build you np 9 and give you, 
an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.] 
An experimental acquaintance with the gospel is 
the best mean to fortify the heart against the as- 
saults of the world. Reason and observation eve- 
ry now and then extort from our lips a cold feeble 
acknowledgment, that the riches, honours, and 
pleasures of this life are uncertain and unsatisfy- 
ing : yet alas ! they still cling about our hearts, 
disturb the peace of our minds, and obstruct our 
progress towards heaven. But a believing con- 
templation on 'divine truth, fixes such a deep con- 
viction in our bosoms of the vanity of the world, 
as fails not to interest our warmest passions, and 
m to have a commanding influence on our conduct* 
In those happy moments the world appears very 
little indeed, just such a trifling object as it is in 

* Col. ill. 16. | James i. 21. i Acts xx, 32. 



WOBLDXY-MINBED HEARERS. 2%5 

the eye of him, who apprehends himself passing 
out of time into eternity* 

Go then, christian, to the cross of Christ, fix 
your eye on the suffering Saviour, contemplate his 
character, and well consider the infinitely benevo- 
lent-intent of what he endured : and sure I am yon 
will cry out in the language of the great apostle, 
God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of 
our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucifi- 
ed unto me, and I unto the world.* It is not ima- 
ginable how t!*e thorns and briers of worldly cares 
and pleasures, should get ground in a heart where 
the word of the kingdom thus takes deep root? 
spreads on every side* and gains new strength and 
vigour every day. The reasonings of mere phi- 
losophy will have little effect to combat the stub- 
born propensities of the heart to the world, and to 
elevate the soul to God. But the sublime truths 
of Christianity, accompanied with a divine energy^ 
will not fail to compass these great objects. 

Let me then beseech you, christians, beseech all 
that hear me, to listen to the voice of divine wis- 
dom, to hang attentively on her lips, to receive 
her doctrine, and accept her gracious invitations. 
She bids us to an entertainment the most free, ex- 
pensive, and delicious ; an entertainment that will 
not fail to please our taste, cheer our spirits, and 
strengthen our hearts. Ho, every one that thirst- 
eth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no mo* 

* Gal. vi, 14. 



£26 WORLDLY-MINDED HEARERS* 

ney; come ye, buy and eat, yea come, buy wine and 
milk withoa money, and without price. Wherefore 
do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and 
your labour for that rvhicH satisfieih not? hearken 
diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good , 
and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline 
your ear and come unto me : hear, and your soul 
shall live, and 1 will make an everlasting covenant 
with yon, even the sure mercies of David.* 

4. And lastly, look to God for his blessing. 

Paid may plant, and Jpollos water; but it is God 
that giveth the increase.] We may hear, read, med- 
itate, reflect, watch, and use many good endeav- 
ours; but if no regard be had to a superior influ- 
ence, all will be vain, The world hath so many 
ways of insinuating itself into our affections, th© 
great enemy of mankind is so insidious and malev- 
olent, and our hearts are so vain and treacherous j 
that if God be not with us we shall be quickly foil- 
ed and overcome. 

Trust not, then, christian, your own sagacity* 
resolution, and strength. Many have done so and 
been made ashamed. Prayer is your refuge. Oh ! 
pray without ceasing. Implore the gracious in- 
fluences of the Holy Spirit ; weep and make sup- 
plication, as did Jacob, to the angel of the cove- 
nant; resolve with him, that you will not leave 
him except he bless you. Such importunity, ac- 
companied as it always is with circumspection 

* Isa. lv. 1—3. f 1 Cor. ill. 6.. 



WORLDLY-MINDED HEARERS. 227 

and obedience, will succeed : and how glorious the 
success ! He is faithful that hath promised. My 

grace is sufficient for thee.* The youths shall faint 
und be weary, and the young men shall utterly fail. 
But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their 
strength : they shall mount up with wings as eagles 9 
they shall run and not be weary, and they shall walk 
and not faint.] Those that be planted in the house 
of the Lord, shall flourish in the courts of our God. 
They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they 
shall be fat and flourishing : to shew that the Lord 
is upright : he is my rock, and there is no unrighte- 
ousness in him.\. 

* 2 Cor. vi. 9. f Ua. xl 30, 3J. | Ps. xca. i3 l5 14, 15. 



DISCOURSE V. 

The character of sincere hearers considered, 

PART I. 
Matt. xiii. 8. 

Hut other seeds fell into good ground, and brought 
forth fruit 9 some an hundredfold, some sixty foUl$ 
some thirty fold. 

XT is one among many other striking proofs of 
the divinity of our Saviour's mission, that the 
treatment his gospel meets with in the world, ex- 
actly corresponds with his own predictions. In 
the parable under our consideration he tells his 
apostles, that some would pay little or no atten- 
tion to it; that others, receiving it with great 
appearance of zeal, would after a while, upon 
some offence taken, renounce it ; and that a third 
sort of persons, having more dispassionately pro- 
fessed the christian name, would in a course of 
time, through a too intimate connexion with the 
world, grow T indifferent to their profession, and 
fail of attaining the great object of it, eternal life. 



SINCERE HEAKEHS. §£$ 

These three distinct characters we have consi- 
dered under the several denominations of — the in- 
attentive the ENTHUSIASTIC the WORLDLY- 

-minded. And I presume the view we have ta- 
ken of the disingenuous temper, criminal conduct* 
and final punishment of these unhappy persons, 
hath deeply affected our hearts. But a scene of a 
different kind now opens to our view. Although 
the ministers of this gospel are a savour of det.lh 
unto death to multitudes who hear it, yet they are 
to many others a savour of life unto life.* And 
we may depend upon it, that God w ill not forget 
his gracious promise : My word that goeth forth 
out of my mouth, shall not return unto me void, hut 
it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall 
prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.j 

Many there are then who hear the word of the 
kingdom, and are thereby made wise unto salva- 
tion. The character of these happy persons we 
are now to consider, and shall style' them, by way 
of distinction from the former, the sincere, that is, 
genuine christians. The text says, Other seeds 
fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some 
an hundredfold, some sioctyfold, some thirty fold. 

Ground within an enclosure, and properly ma- 
nured, is better fitted to receive seed than that on 
the way side, in stony places, or in the hedges. 
tSeed sown here at the proper season, and by a 
skilful hand, will be likely to mingle with the soil, 

• 2 Cor, ii. 16. f Isai, It. lh 

£0 



230 SINCERE HEARERS. 

Sind, under the genial influence of the sun and the 
Falling dew and rain, to spring up and bring forth 
fruit. But the produce, through a variety of cii> 
tumstances too numerous to be mentioned, will om 
%ome lands and in some countries be more con- 
siderable than others. Such is the figure in our 
Ifcxt. 

Our Saviour's exposition of this part of the par- 
table you have in the twenty-third verse — He that 
^received seed into the ground, is he that heareth the 
*Word, andunderstandethit, which also heareth fruit, 
itnd bringeth forth some an hundredfold* some sixty, 
some thirty. Luke expresses it somewhat differently 
*»~-That on the good ground, are they, which in an hon- 
mt and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, 
-and bring forth fruit with patience.^ The first 
thing that strikes us here is 5 

1. That these hearers have honest and good 
^hearts. The ground must be properly manured 
*and prepared, before the seed can so mingle with 
it as to produce fruit. In like manner, the powers 
of the soul must be renewed by divine grace, be- 
ifore the instructions of God's word can so incor- 
porate with them as to become fruitful. The heart 
\vhich was prone to deceive, flatter, and impose 
upon itself; must be made sincere and honest. 
And the heart which was hard, conceited, and self- 
billed ; must become soft, humble, and teachable. 
S^fow the metaphor, thus explained, gives us a two- 

* Ostfip. viii. 15. 



'SINCERE HEARERS-. -£31 

fold view of the word of God, as the mean or in- 
strument of men's conversion, and as the seed im- 
planted in their hearts from whence the fruits of 
obedience proceed. And this account of the mat- 
ter Aery well agrees with what we meet with m 
other passages of scripture, as particularly in the 
epistle of James, ^ where God is said of his own 
will to beget us with the word of truth; and in a 
few verses afterwards, we are represented as re- 
ceiving xvith meekness the engrafted word, which is 
able to save our souls. And it agrees too with the 
fact, for it frequently so happens that men, who 
come to the house of God unprepared, and with 
hearts neither honest nor good ; are yet by th@ 
preaching of the word, accompanied with a divine 
energy, convinced and converted. Their under- 
standing is illuminated, and a new bent is given 
to their will. — So, 

2. They hear the word after a different manner* 
and to a very different purpose from what Others 
do, and from what they themselves formerly did. 
They hear it with attention, candour, meekness, 
and simplicity.— And then— to go on with our Sa- 
vour's account of these hearers — they, 

3. Understand the word. 

This is not expressly said, as I remember, of 
either of the former characters. They indeed who 
are destitute of the grace of God, may have a 
speculative acquaintance with the gospel 5 hut 

* James i. 18, 2h 




$§& SINCERE HEA&ERSv 

mingling their own vain conceits with it, and not 
being sensible of its importance nor imbibing its 
true spirit, they are to all valuable purposes igno- 
rant of it. This however is not the case with real 
ehristian*. They have a right understanding of 
the gospel. It is in their idea the most simple, 
and at the same time the most interesting thing in 
the world ; easy to be apprehended, and yet full of 
infinite majesty and glory. Their knowledge is, 
in short, experimental and practical. 

4. They keep the word. The seed once lodged 
in the heart remains there. It is not caught away 
by the wicked one, it is not destroyed by the 
scorching beams of persecution, nor is it choked 
by the thorns of worldly cares and pleasures. It 
is laid up in the understanding, memory, and af« 
fections ; and guarded with attention and care, as 
the most invaluable treasure. And indeed how is 
It -imaginable that the man who has received the 
truth in the love of it, has ventured his everlast- 
ing all on it, and has no other ground of hope 
whatever, should be willing to part with this good 
word of the grace of God ! Sooner would he re- 
nounce his dearest temporal enjoyments, yea even 
life itself. Nor does our Saviour by keeping the 
word mean only an attachment to the leading 
truths of Christianity, and which may therefore 
with emphasis be called the word ; he intends also 
a due regard to all the instructions and precepts 
of the bible, the whole revealed will of God. 
that my ways? says Da^id, were directed to keep 



Ihy statutes!* And our Lord frequently exhorts 
las disciples to express their love to him, by keep- 
ing his commandments,} and observing his say- 
ings.i — Again, 

5. They bring forth fruit. The seed springs up, 
looks green, and promises a fair harvest. They 
profess the christian name, and live answerable to 
it. Their external conduct is sober, useful, and 
honourable; and their temper is pious, benevolent, 
and holy. The fruit they bear is of the same na- 
ture with the seed whence it springs. Their obe- 
dience is regulated by the word of God, as its rule; 
and flows from divine principles, such as faith, 
hope, and love, implanted in their hearts. But of 
these things we shall treat more largely hereafter. 

6. They bring forth fruit with patience. It is a 
considerable time before the seed disseminates., 
rises into the stalk and the ear, and ripens into 
fruit. It usually meets with many checks in its 
progress, through inclement weather and other 
unfavourable circumstances. So that the husband- 
man, as the apostle James says, waiteth for the 
precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience 
for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.§ 
And thus is aptly signified the gradual progress of 
religion in the heart, the opposition it meets with 
from various quarters, and the resolution, self-de- 

* Psalm cxix 5. f John xiv. 15. 

| Ver. 24; § James v. ?, 



£54 SINCERE HEAREHSr. 

nial, and perseverance necessary to the christian 
character. — In one word, 

7. And lastly. They bring forth fruit in differ- 
ent degrees, some thirty, some sixty, and some an 
hundred fold. They are none of them unfruitful, 
but the produce is more or less, agreeable to the 
kind of soil, the means of cultivation, and the dif- 
ference of the seasons. 

The amount of the whole is this : Those hearers 
who are sincere, will derive real profit from the 
word ; and give clear proof they do so, by bring- 
ing forth fruit, in various degrees, to the glory of 
God and their own everlasting advantage. And 
jiow in order to the fully discussing this argument, 
we shall, 

I. Shew the necessity of men's hearts being 
made honest and good, in order to their profiting 
by the word they hear : 

II. Describe the kind of fruit which persons of 
this character bear, and which furnishes incontest- 
ible proof that they are benefitted by the word : 

III. Consider the variety there is in regard of 
degrees of fruitfulness, and the reasons of it : and, 

IV. Represent the blessedness of such persons, 
which, though not directly expressed, is yet im- 
plied in the general purport of the parable. 

I. As to the necessity of the heart's being made 
honest and good, in order to men's duly receiving 
the word and keeping it, this will clearly appear 
mi a little reflection. 



I suppose it will scarce be denied, that the will 
and affections have a considerable influence on the 
operations of the understanding and judgment* 
To a mind, therefore, under the tyranny of pride 
and pleasure* positions that are hostile to these 
passions will not easily gain admission. Their 
first appearance will create prejudice. And if 
that prejudice does not instantly preclude all con- 
sideration, it will yet throw insuperable obstruc- 
tions in the way of impartial enquiry. If it does 
not absolutely put out the eye of reason, it will 
yet raise such dust before it as will effectually 
prevent its perceiving the object. What men do 
not care to believe they will take pains to persuade 
themselves is not true. They will employ all their 
ingenuity to find out objections, and having cast 
them with great eagerness into the opposite scale 
to positive unexamined evidence, will at length 
pronounce confidently against the truth, and in 
favour of error. Such is the manner of the world, 
and thus do men impose upon themselves in a; 
thousand questions, civil and religious, which 
thwart their inclinations. 

Now the gospel (if the account we have given 
of it be true) is most humiliating to the pride of 
the human heart, and most disgusting to that in- 
ordinate passion for worldly pleasure which pre- 
vails there. Why then should it be thought 
strange, that men of this character should be vio- 
lently precipitated by their prejudices into false 
and dangerous reasonings ? To these causes we 



Q36 SINCERE HEARERS. 

may, without breach of charity, impute a great 
deal if not the whole of that opposition the gospel 
meets with in the world. Hence the cross of Christ 
became to the Jews a stiiQibling-block, and to the 
Greeks foolishness. And hence multitudes in our 
time, upon their first hearing the gospel are of* 
fended, and with the men of Capernaum say, 
66 These are hard sayings, Who can hear them ?" 
If then the word of the kingdom be received 
and kept in the manner it ought, the heart must 
be first made honest and good. When once a new 
bias is given to the will and affections, and a man 
from a proud becomes a humble man, from a lover 
of this world a lover of God, his prejudices against 
the gospel will instantly subside. The thick va- 
pours exhaled from a sensual heart, which had 
obscured his understanding, will disperse; and 
the light of divine truth shine in upon him with 
commanding evidence. He will receive the truth 
in the love of it. The method of salvation by a 
crucified Jesus, will become highly pleasing ta 
him ; and all the little objections which originated, 
not in sound reason but in disaffection and per- 
verseness, will vanish. And so that divine saying 
of our Saviour's will be found to be true, If any 
man will do the will of God, he shall know of the 
doctrine whether it be of God.* 

How important then is regeneration ! How ear- 
nestly should we pray to God to renew our will ! 

f. John vii. 17. 



dfNCKftE HEARERS'. &W 

And what pains should we take with ourselves, to 
Subdue our stubborn prejudices and passions ! 
Tims laying apart all flthiness and superfluity of 
naughtiness, and receiving with meekness the en- 
grafted word 9 we shall find it able to save our souls.^ 
The seed thus sown in the understanding, thus in- 
sinuating itself into the heart, and thus mingling 
with the affections; will not fail to spring up and. 
in due time bring forth fruit. — This leads us, 

IF. To describe the kiwi of fruit which such 
persons will bear. It is good fruit— fruit of thfc 
-Itame nature with the seed whence it grows, and 
the soil with which it is incorporated : of the same 
nature with the gospel itself which is received in 
faith, and with those holy principles which are 
infused by the blessed Spirit. 

Here let us dwell a little more particularly oh 
the nature and tendency of the gospel. God is in 
Christ reconciling the world to himself not imputing 
their trespasses to them.j No less a person than 
his own Son he devotes to death for their sakes. 
This great sacrifice he exhibits to the view of the 
whole creation, as the most striking spectacle of 
his just resentment against sin, and the most 
sure pledge of his tender compassion to the 
guilty. The merit of this divine Saviour he ac- 
cepts. The plea he admits in bar of the sen- 
tence that hung over the head of the devoted cri- 
minal. "Deliver him," says he, "from going 

* James i. 21. f 2 Cor, v, 19, 



-S-3* SINCERE HEARERS* 

down to the pit, for I have found a ransom." He 
absolves him, he justifies, him, he makes him ever- 
lastingly happy. Who shall lay any thing to the 
eliarge of God's elect ? It is God that justifeiL 
Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died.* 
So grace reigns through righteousness unto eternal 
tife, by Jesus Christ our lord,] O how inflexible^ 
the justice, how venerable the holiness, and how 
boundless the goodness of God ! 

And if this be the gospel, Who can hesitate & 
moment upon the question respecting its natural 
and proper tendency ? Who will dare assert, that 
it is not a doctrine according to godliness ? that it 
does not teach and enforce the purest and most sub- 
lime morality ? What man who believes it can ad- 
mit a doubt, with the divine character thus held 
up to his view, whether he ought supremely to res 
Tere, love, and obey the blessed God ? How can 
piety languish and die amidst this scene of wonders % 
How can the heart, occupied with these sentL- 
ments, remain unsusceptible to the feelings of jus- 
tice, truth, humanity, and benevolence? How can 
a man believe himself to be that guilty depraved 
helpless wretch which this gospel supposes him to 
be, and not be humble? How can he behold the 
Creator of the world expiring in agonies on the 
cross, and follow him thence a pale breathless 
corpse to the tomb, and not feel a sovereign con- 
tempt for the pomps and vanities of this transito* 



* Rom. viji. 33, 34. 



f Rom. v. 21,. 



SINCERE HEARERS. €3$ f 

ry stated How can he, in a word, see liim rising 
from the dead, triumphing over the powers of 
darkness, and ascending amid the shouts of angels 
up into heaven ; how can he, I say, be a spectator 
of all these scenes, and remain indifferent to his 
everlasting interests ? We appeal then to the com- 
mon sense of mankind, whether the scheme of sal- 
vation, thus exquisitely constructed, is not adapt- 
ed to promote the interests of piety and holiue s? 
It is as evident as that the sun was created to give 
light and heat to our world; and the earth made 
fruitful, to afford food and nourishment to those 
■who inhabit it. 

But to bring the matter more fully home to the 
point before us, What kind of a man is the real 
christian? Let us contemplate his character, and 
consider what is the general course of his life* 
Instructed in this diviue doctrine, and having his 
heart made honest and good, he will be a man of 
piety, integrity, and purity. The graze of Go& 9 
which bringeth salvation, will teach him to deny un* 
godliness, and worldly lusts, and to live soberly 9 
righteously, and godly in this present world.* 

As to piety. A due regard to the authority of 
the blessed God, will have a commanding influence 
upon his temper and practice. With that great 
Being in his eye, he will aim to discharge the du- 
ties of religious worship, public and private, with 
sincerity, attention, and devotion. Remembering 

* Tit. £1. ll,l& 



£4# tetteEttE WEAllEKS. 

the allegiance lie owes to his sovereign, he will 
tremble at the idea of offending him ; and calling 
to mind the various expressions of his bounty, he 
will feel holy joy in cvi'ry effort to please him. Re- 
lying on Siis pardoning mercy through Christ, he 
will ingenuously repent of his sins, and cordially 
return to his duty. When contemplating his ex- 
cellencies, he will revere him. When enjoying 
the tokens of his favour, he will delight in him. 
When chastened by his afflicting hand, he will sub- 
mit to him. When assaulted by temptation, he will 
confide in him. And when employed by him in 
any difficult and arduous service, he will rely o* 
his gracious assistance. 

As to social duties. His conduct will be govern* 
ed by the rule his divine Master has laid down, 
of doing to others as he would have them do t# 
him. He will be just in his dealings, faithful ta 
his engagements, and sincere in his friendships. 
He will aim to live on terms of peace with all, be 
Cautious of giving offence to any, and gladly inter- 
pose his best offices, when required, to extinguish 
the flames of contention wherever they are kindled. 
He will ieel with the afflicted, and rejoice to havt 
it in his power to smooth the brow of adversity, 
and to pour consolation into the bosom of the sor- 
rowful. To a mean and base action he will be 
nobly superior, and in acts of generosity and kind- 
ness his heart will exult. A stranger to sullen re- 
serve and corroding selfishness, his soul will min- 
gle with kindred souls, and participate largely 



SINCERE HEAKEK«U $# 

Willi others in their pleasures. In a word, by his 
influence and example he will endeavour to pro- 
mote the civil, but more especially the spiritu- 
al and everlasting interests of mankind.— And 

then, 

As to personal duties. He will use the com- 
jbrts of life, which he enjoys as the fruits of divine 
benevolence, with temperance and moderation. 
Trie wealth and splendour of the world will no! 
be his object : on the contrary he will hold them 
in sovereign contempt, when they dispute the pre- 
eminence with intellectual and divine joys. Of 
many gratifications he will deny himself, not only 
that he may have it in his power to do good to 
others, but may promote his own best interests, by 
bri-iging sense into subjection to reason, and the 
world into obedience to God. His pride he will 
endeavour to mortify, by severely studying and 
censuring his own temper and actions, and by can- 
didly judging and excusing those of others. He 
will think soberly of himself as he ought to think. 
His angry passions he will restrain and soften, 
and a spirit of meekness, gentleness, and forbear- 
ance he will cultivate to the utmost of his power. 
In tine, the salvation of his soul will be his grand 
object, and the care of that will have the prefer- 
ence to every other concern whatever. , 

Such are the fruits which they bring forth, who 
hear the word in the manner our Saviour describes, 
and who keep it in good and honest hearts. They 
%eaik worthy of the vocation whcrexvith they are 

SI 



SINCERE HEARERS. 



milled:* and their conversation is as it becometk 
the gospel of Christ.] The fruit of the Spirit is love, 
joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 
^meekness, temperance: against such there is no 
iaw.\ Of this description were the primitive chris- 
tians, and, I trust, there are some such to be met 
'•with in our times. 

But it is not meant by this description of the 
christian to raise him above the rank of humanity, 
or to give a colouring to the picture which it will 
mot bear* He is still a man, not an angel. To fix 
the standard of real religion at a mark to which 
none can arrive, is to do an injury to religion it- 
iself, as well as to discourage the hearts of its best 
friends. Absolute perfection is unattainable in the 
present life.. The best of men have failed in one 
or other, if not each, of those graces which have 
been described. Abraham was the father of the 
faithful, yet his faith was more than once shaken 
by the violent assaults of unbelief. Jacob had an 
honest heart, yet there was a time when he dis- 
sembled. Job was a pattern of patience, yet in a 
paroxysm of grief he uttered words that bordered 
on rebellion. Moses was the meekest man on the 
-earth, yet passion once got the mastery of him. 
And those mighty champions in the cause of Chris- 
tianity, the apostles Peter and Paul, were not with- 
out their failings which the' scriptures have faith- 
fully recorded. In many things we all offend.^ 

* Eph iv. 1. f Philip i. 27, 

J GaL v. 22, 23. § James iii. 2. 



gfttG^RE HEAKERSo &4e$ 

BTbr is there a christian living,- however exempla- 
ry, but is disposed with all humility to acknowl- 
edge, that he every day fails in his duty, and 
that his best services are disgraced with folly 
and sin. 

But though perfection in the strict sense of ths 
term is not to be admitted, yet the fruit which ev- 
ery real christian bears is good fruit. It is so de- 
nominated by Christ ; and such it truly is, as it 
springs from right principles, and is conformable 
in general to the rule laid down in the word of 
God. And however the holiness of the best of 
men must appear infinitely defective to the eye of 
Omniscience, and therefore can have no merit in 
it; yet there is a real obvious difference between 
the character of a man of this world, and that of 
a genuine disciple of Christ; one who is renewed 
by the grace of God, and one who is under the. 
power of unbelief and sin. 

From this view of the kind of fruit which chris- 
tians bring forth, we are led to consider the great 
variety there is among them in regard of degrees 
of fruitfulness, and the reasons of it. But this 
we must refer to another opportunity, and add 
only a few remarks at present on what has been 
said. 

1. How gracious is that influence which the 
blessed God exerts to make the heart honest and 
good, and so dispose it to receive the word and pro- 
fit by it ! 






344 SINCERE HEARERS* 

The corruption of human nature is universal^ 
and, much greater than superficial reasoners, and 
those who are little acquainted with themselves, 
eare to admit. The heart is deceitful above all 
things, and desperately wicked. Men are set up- 
on criminal indulgences, and are averse to the holy 
exercises and sublime pleasures of religion. Now 
how is a new turn to be given to the mind ? How 
are men to be persuaded cordially to love that 
which they so much dislike? The reasonings of 
philosophy, however good, will go but little way 
in this business* Yea, the nobler reasonings of 
the gospel too often prove ineffectual. How gra- 
cious then that influence of the Holy Spirit by 
Which a revolution is brought about in the mind ! 
It was by virtue of this influence that Cornelius 
became a devout man 9 and was disposed to send 
for Peter to preach the gospel to him and his fam- 
ily.^ It was the Lord that opened the heart of Lyd- 
ia to attend to the things which were spoken to her 
% Panl.j And it is God, who is rich in mercy, 
that quickens all those who were once dead in tres- 
passes and sins? but are now alive to God and re- 
ligion^ To that grace then, by which we are re- 
generated and saved, let us cheerfully render our 
noblest tribute of gratitude and praise. 

2. From the nature and tendency of the gospel* 
which has been just delineated, we derive a strong 
{■presumptive evidence of its truth.- 

<* Acfs £. f Acfs xvi. 12. £ Eph. ii. !. 



SINCERE HBAHERS. 245 

The direct positive evidence of prophecy and 
miracle, must have its weight with eveiy consid- 
erate person. But when this of the spirit and in- 
tent of the gospel is added, it cannot fail of bear- 
ing down all opposition before it. We appeal to 
the common sense of mankind, upon the ^question 
respecting the holy tendency of this divine institu- 
tion. Let men admit or reject the gospel itself, 
let them enter into the spirit of it or harbour pre- 
judices against it; still they cannot deny that we 
have here the purest system of morality, and 
that it is enforced by motives admirably adapted 
to touch the noblest feelings of the hearer's 
heart. 

Now whence could this doctrine so infinitely 
beneficial to mankind come, if not from God ? Is 
it imaginable that satan would or could change 
his nature and views, and adopt a plan to emanci- 
pate men from his cruel dominion, bring them back 
to their allegiance to God, and secure to them 
greater felicity than that of which he had in the 
beginning deprived them? Is it imaginable that 
any of his emissaries should have ingenuity enough 
to devise a scheme so noble, generous, and god- 
like as this? Or if they had, that they would with 
mighty zeal forward a design so repugnant to their 
own character and views ? In short, would any 
man living, at the hazard of his temporal not to 
say his eternal interests, take pains to palm on 
his fellow-creatures a known falsehood; in order 
to persuade them to be the very opposite to him- 

2.L* 



24€ 



SINCERE HEA&E21S. 



self, holy, just and good ? Whoever answers these 
questions in the affirmative, must have a stronger 
faith than that required to make a man a christian. 
But if we could for a moment suppose the gospel 
to be a cunningly devised fable, it were yet worth 
our while, for the sake of the present advantages 
which result from the belief of it, to embrace it. 

3. Of what importance is it that we converse 
intimately with the gospel, in order to our bring- 
ing forth the fruits of holiness ! 

Admitting the gospel to be true, the holding 
back its peculiar glories from our view, under the 
pretence of their being too mysterious to be appre- 
hended, or too bright to be beheld by the feeble 
eye of human reason; is not only absurd, but 
greatly injurious to the cause of real piety and 
genuine morality. If there be a display of con- 
summate wisdom, transcendent goodness, and im- 
mense power, in the contrivance and execution of 
the plan of redemption j it was no doubt brought 
forward to our view in the scriptures, that it might 
be considered by us. And the contemplation of it^ 
if no other end was to be answered, must afford 
divine entertainment to a mind rightly disposed. 
Are the perfections of Deity more strikingly delin- 
eated in the volume of the gospel than in that of 
nature and providence, and may we not reasona- 
bly expect a more sublime pleasure in the study of 
the former than of the latter? But the main 
thing is, that there are stronger incentives to be 
met with here to love and obedience than any 



SXXCEKE HEAHEU8Y %AJ 

Where else* And since the arguments to be drawn 
from natural religion will go but a little way to 
dispose and animate us to our duty, ought we not 
to have recourse to those which are of such higher 
and nobler consideration ? 

If then we would have our hearts elevated to 
God by a devotion the most sublime and extatic, if 
we would have our bosoms warmed with affections 
the most animating and generous, if we would 
have our wonder, reverence, confidence, gratitude, 
and delight kindle into a flame, if we would, in a 
word, be imitators of God as dear children : let us 
with open face behold in the mirror of the gospel 
the glory of the Lord; so shall we be changed into 
the same image, from glory to glory , ex en as by the 
Spirit of the Lord.* Let us dwell in our medita- 
tions on this divine doctrine, and cordially em- 
brace those exceeding great and precious promises 
which are here made us; so shall we he partakers 
of the divine nature.] The soft and tender emo- 
tions of ingenuous sorrow, for sin, are both plea- 
sant and salutary. If then w^e would keep alive 
in our breasts a penitential sense of sin, and a 
prevailing aversion to it,- and if we would enjoy 
the heartfelt comfort arising from the hope of for- 
giveness; let us often ascend mount Calvary, and 
survey the bleeding cross of the son of God. Con- 
templating by faith on his sufferings, our eyes 
will stream with sorrow and sparkle with joy : 

* 2 Cor-iii.18, f 2 Pet. i. 4; 



£48 mresES HEARERS.- 

we shall at once tremble and rejoice. Would wey 
again, excel in the social virtues of justice, truth, 
compassion, benevolence, and friendship; let us 
sit at the feet of Jesus, listen to his instructions, 
bind his gospel to our hearts, and make it the man 
of our counsel. Would we, in fine, be humble, 
meek, patient, and temperate, be crucified to the 
world, and have the appetites of sense subjected 
to the dictates of reason ; let us make this divine 
science our chief study, and glory in nothing save 
Jesus Christ and him crucified. The life Hive in 
the flesh, says the apostle,^ Hive by the faith of the 
Son of God. And if christians should thus live, 
ministers should no doubt thus preach as well as 
live. Would they convert sinners to God, spread 
the savour of genuine piety, and promote the in- 
terests of substantial morality ; the gospel must 
be their daily study, their continual theme of dis- 
course. 

4. And, lastly. How vain a thing is mere spe- 
culation in religion ! 

The great end of preaching the gospel is to 
make men holy and good ; nor has God afforded 
us any discovery of his will, but is adapted some 
way or other to this end. We are to judge there- 
fore of the importance of a doctrine by its practi- 
cal tendency. To this standard every truth is to 
be brought, and by it our zeal is to be regulated. 
If this idea were duly attended to, wq should ig* 

* Gal. ii. g<L 



SXtfCEftE HEJLliEES* £49 

o&pe the extremes of bigotry and neutrality : we 
should neither be indifferent to the faith, nor value 
eurselves on our profound speculations. 

Ah ! my brethren, to what purpose is it that we 
are skilled in controversy, can decide on nice 
questions, and draw the line to a hair between 
points on which the best of men have differed ; if 
we are without that unction from the Holy On® 
which diffuses a divine savour through the soul^ 
and adds a grateful perfume to our words and ac- 
tions ? Though I have all knowledge, if I have no% 
shanty, lam nothing.* Let us therefore be per* 
frnaded, having received the word of the kingdom, 
to be anxious above all things to maintain a cha- 
racter and conduct agreeable to our holy profess 
sion. Herein is my Father glorified, says our di- 
vine Saviour, that ye bear much fruit, so shall ye be 
my disciples.* 

* I Cor. siii, 2G. f JgJiI! xv * & 



AM 



30CEEB HEAREltSV 



PART II 



T is tlie character of the real christian we ar# 
flow considering, as drawn by our Saviour in the 
parable of the sower. Some seeds Jell into good 
ground, and brought Jorth Jruit, some an hundred 
Jold, some sixty Jold, some thirty Jold.* Now by 
the good ground, our Lard tells us, he means those 
who in an -honest and good heart, having heard the 
word? keep it, and bring Jorth Jruit with patience.j[ 
Having briefly explained these words we have 
proposed — to shew the necessity of men's hearts 
feeing made honest and good, in order to their pro- 
fiting by the word they hear—to describe the kind 
of fruit which persons of this character bear — to 
consider the variety there is in regard of degrees 
of fruitfulness, and the reasons of it — and to repre- 
sent the blessedness of such persons, which f ugh 
not expressed is yet implied in the general purport 
of the parable. We have discoursed on the two 
first heads, and proceed now, 

III. To consider the great variety there is among 
christians in regard of degrees of fruitfulness, and 
the reasons of it. 



Matt. xiii. 8, 



f Luke viii. 15. 



SfiTvCERE 'HEARERS* S5< 

Seed sown on good ground brings forth fruit — 
some an hundred, some sixty, and some thirty fold* 
Very astonishing instances of fertility we meet 
with in natural history.* But though such in- 
stances occur not in the ordinary course of things, 
it is yet certain that in all ages and in all coun- 
tries the produce of the earth is various. And this 
variety is commonly imputed to difference of soil 
or difference in the mode of cultivation, or differ- 
ence of climates and seasons. In like manner it 
is a fact f -4;hat the fruits which christians brirg 
forth, though in the general of the same good qual- 
ity, are very different in quantity : some abound 
more in good works than others. And if the rea- 
sons of this are enquired into, we shall find them 
somewhat similar to those just mentioned re- 
specting the produce of the earth. Let us first 
establish the fact, and then examine the reasons 
of it. 

FIRST, as to the fact, that there are degrees of 
fruitfulness, a little observation will sufficiently 
prove it. 

* Of the extraordinary fruitfulness of corn in Africa, PJiny 
gives us the following account, 'Tntico nihil est fertilius : hoc 
ci natura tribuit, quoniam eo maxkne a 'at hominem • utpote cum 
e modio, si sit aptum solum, quale in Bysacio African campo, cen- 
teni quinquageni modii reddantur. Mi it ex eo loco Divo Au- 
gusto procurator ejus ex uno grano (vis credibilq dictu) quad* 
Tingenta paucis minus germina, extanque de sa re epistolse. Misit 
& Nej-oni similiter cccsi stipuias ex uno gruno " 

Plin. Lib, XVIII. cap. 10, 



832- SSKCEKE HEAREES. 

Fruitfulness may be considered in regard both 
of the devout affections of the heart, and the ex- 
ternal actions of the life ; in each of which view* 
it will admit of degrees. As to the former, that 
is piety, it is certain it may be in a more flourish- 
ing state in one man than in another. But com- 
parisons here are dangerous, if indeed they may 
be allowed of at all. Religion is a personal thing, a 
matter that lies between God and a man's awn soul. 
And as we should not dare to pronounce defini- 
tively upon any one's state towards God, so wi 
should be careful how we give the preference to 
«ne religious character before another. In these 
matters we may be, and often are, very much mis- 
taken. And I have no doubt but that at the great 
day many will be first, who in the opinion of their 
fellow-mortals were last; and many will be last, 
who w r ere first. And, however we may be at lib- 
erty to judge more freely of actions ; yet to infer 
certainly from them to the state of men's hearts 
is going beyond our line, since the comparative 
difference between the good works of one christian 
and another, may be owing to causes very distinct 
from that of the inward temper of the mind, jaB 
we shall have occasion hereafter to shew. All this 
I say, to check that forward and wanton specula- 
tion which too much prevails among professing 
christians, and is a disgrace to religion. Judge 
.-jgotj says our Saviour, lest ye be judged.* Wb$& 

''* Matte vii. I> 






SINCERE HEARERS* &5$ 

Ve see any rich in good works, we arc justified ia 
pronouncing that religion is in a prosperous state- 
in their hearts. And where we see any less fruit- 
ful, charity should teach us to impute the difference 
to any other possible cause, rather than that of a 
declension in vital godliness. 

But to return. It is with good works them- 
selves that we are here concerned. And it will be 
reaiily admitted that some abound more in the 
fruits of holiness than others. So it is in our time, 
and so it has been in every age of the world. The 
variety is prodigious. What multitudes are there 
among those who call themselves christians, of 
whom we can collect little more from our observa- 
tion of them than that they live harmless, sober, 
and regular lives. Their obedience is rather ne- 
gative than positive. They bring no dishonour 
on their profession, nor yet are they very orna- 
mental and exemplary. Others are strictly con- 
scientious and circumspect in their walk, far re- 
moved from all appearance of gaiety and dissipa- 
tion, and remarkably serious and constant in their 
attendance upon religious duties: but, for want of 
sweetness of temper, or of that sprightliness and 
freedom which a lively faith inspires, the fruit they 
bear is but slender and of an unpleasant flavour. 
There are those, further, in whom seriousness and 
cheerfulness are happily united, and whose conduct 
is amiable in the view of all around them • but 
then moving in a narrow sphere, and possessing 
no great zeal or resolution, their lives are distin- 



%H SINCERE HEARERS* 

/guished by few remarkable exertions for tbe glory 
t)f God and the good of others. And again there 
tire a number whose bosoms glowing with flaming 
zeal and ardent love, are rich in good works, 
never weary in well-doing, and full of the fruits 
bf righteousness to the praise and glory of God. 

Some we see, in the early part of their profes- 
sion, mounting up with wings as eagles : by and 
by, their ardour somewhat abating, they run in 
the ways of God : and after a while, yet further 
declining in their vigour, they can only walk iu 
the path to heaven ; they however do not turn back* 
'Others, on the contrary, we see contending with 
the weakness and frowardness of childhood, then 
collecting the strength and vivacity of youth, so 
proceeding to the steadiness and judgment of riper 
years, and at length closing their days amidst all 
the rich fruits of wisdom and experience. In the 
jgarden of God there are trees of different growth. 
Some newly planted, of slender stature and feeble 
jnake, which yet bring forth good though but lit- 
tle fruit. And here and there you see one that out- 
tops all the rest, whose roots spread far and widen 
and whose boughs are laden in autumn with rich 
and large fruit. Such variety is there among 
christians. And variety there is too in the differ- 
ent species of good works. Some are eminent in 
this virtue, and some in that; while perhaps a few 
abound in every good word and work. 

Whoever consults the history of religion in the 
liMe, will see all that has been s^id exemplified in 



SItfCEKE IIEAftEKS. MSjf 

the characters and lives of a- long scroll of piou& 
men. Not to speak here of the particular excel- 
lencies that distinguished these men of God from 
each other, it is enough 16 observe that some vast- 
ly outshine others. The proportions of a hundred, 
sixty, and thirty fold, might be applied to -patri- 
archs, prophets, judges, kings, apostles, and the 
christians of the primitive church. Between, for 
instance, an A br all am that offered up his only sori, 
and a- righteous Lot that lingered at the call of an 
angel. A Moses that led the Israelites through 
all the perils of the red sea and the wilderness to 
ihe borders of Canaan, and a pious Aaron who 
yet on an occasion temporized with that perverse 
people. A Joshua who trampled on the necks of 
idolatrous princes, and a Sampson who betrayed 
his weakness amidst astonishing efforts of miracu- 
lous strength. A David who was the man after 
God's own heart, and an Abijah in whom was 
found some good thing towards the Lord God of 
Israel. A Daniel who was greatly beloved of God, 
and a Jonah who though he feared God thought hq 
did w T ell to be angry. In a word, between the 
great apostle of the Gentiles, that flaming serapk 
in the christian hemisphere, and a timid unbeliev* 
ing Thomas. — But let us now, 

SECONDLY, Enquire into the grounds and 
reasons of this disparity among christians, respect* 
ing the fruits of holiness. These are of very dif* 
ferent consideration. Many of them will be found 
th have n© connection at all with the*inward tejit* 



gS6 ■ fifr'tfeEKB HEARERS* 

per of tlie mind j a reflection, therefore, upon them 
will give energy to what has been said, in regard 
6f the charity we ought to exercise in judging of 
others. Let us begin then, 

1. With men's worldly circumstances. 

Much wealth rarely falls to the lot of good peo- 
ple : it does however in some instances. Admit- 
ting then that the rich and the poor christian pos- 
sess an equal share of the grace of God, this dif- 
ference in regard of their temporal affairs will cre- 
ate a difference in the number, variety, and splen- 
dour of their good works. The affluent christian 
you will see pouring his bounty on all around him* 
hospitably throwing open his doors to the stranger, 
wiping away the falling tear of the widow, pro- 
viding for the relief of her fatherless children, 
propping up a house sinking into poverty, contri- 
buting generously to charitable institutions, ms- 
tributing useful books among his poor neighbours, 
assisting ministers in their labours, and forward- 
ing in various ways the general cause of truth, lib- 
erty, and religion. These are good works which 
cannot fail, when known, of exciting admiration. 
When known, I say, because the modest piety of 
him who does them will labour to cast a veil over 
them, and induce him humbly to acknowledge 
when he has done all, that he is, in regard of God, 
an unprofitable servant. 

But the poor christian can render few if any of 
these services to bis fellow-creatures. The utmost 
ke can perhaps do is ; by his daily labour to feed and 



SINCERE HEARERS. feSJC 

clothe his family, and to provide things honest in 
the sight of all men. His works are of a different 
kind, the works of industry, contentment, submis- 
sion, and patience. He moves in a narrow sphere, 
beyond which, however, he often looks with a com- 
passionate and benevolent eye, obliged to substi- 
tute the will instead of the deed. 

£. Opportunity is another ground of distinction 
among christians in regard of fruitful ness. 

By opportunity I mean occasions of usefulness, 
which arise under the particular and immediate 
direction of divine Providence. A man shall some- 
times be so situated, and such unexpected events 
take place, as that by a seasonable exertion of his 
abilities, he shall be capable of doing great service 
to the cause of virtue and religion. The stations 
assigned by Providence to some christians are par- 
ticularly favourable to the idea of glorifying God 
and promoting the good of society. Moving in ele- 
vated spheres, they have numerous and powerful 
connections, and of consequence great weight and 
influence. A Daniel shall have such easy access 
to the presence of a mighty tyrant, as shall enable 
him to whisper the most beneficial counsels in his 
ear: and an apostle, by being brought in chains 
before a no less powerful prince, shall have an op- 
portunity of defending the cause of his divine Mas- 
ter in the most essential manner. Christians, if 
such there be, that are admitted at any time into 
the courts of sovereigns, into the circles of the 

great, or into the counsels of the wise ; may d® 

&2# 



'258 SINCERE HEARERS. 

eminent service to religion by their reasonings, 
admonitions, and examples* Nor is there any 
station of life wherein a good man is not now and 
then called, by some extraordinary circumstance 
in providence, to special offices of piety and char- 
ity; such as instructing the ignorant, reproving 
the profane, guiding the doubtful, reclaiming the 
vicious, edifying the weak, and comforting the dis- 
tressed. But these opportunities of usefulness oc- 
cur more frequently in some situations than others, 
and of consequence the fruitfulness of some chris- 
tians is greater than that of others, 

S. Mental abilities have a considerable influence 
in this matter. 

What shining talents do some good men possess I 
They have extensive learning, great knowledge of 
mankind, much sagacity and penetration, singular 
fortitude, a happy manner of address, flowing lan- 
guage and a remarkable sweetness of temper. 
These and other amiable qualities of a natural 
kind, uniting with a deep sense of religion and a 
warm zeal for the glory of God, give them the 
advantage in point of general usefulness in soci- 
ety above most around them. They can de- 
tect error and defend the truth, frown upon vies 
and allure men to virtue, assert the cause of reli- 
gion and repel the calumnies of infidels, after a 
manner not to be attempted by others, who yet pos- 
sess the same piety and zeal with themselves. 
Their singular talents open a large field of useful- 
ness to them, draw the attention of the public;- 



SINCERE HEARER?. 259 

give them a commanding authority over popular 
prejudices^ and with the blessing of God secure to 
them no small success in the arduous business of 
reforming mankind. 

The apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, endowed 
with the gifts of knowledge and utterance, went 
abroad into all the earth, and brought forth fruit 
an hundred fold : while private christians, whom 
they exhorted to covet earnestly better gifts than 
these, could do little more, destitute of popular ta- 
lents, tiian recommend the holy religion they pro- 
fessed by their unblameable lives. And since their 
time, there have been men possessed of extraordi- 
nary gifts who have laboured with uncommon suc- 
cess in the vineyard ; while their brethren of infe« 
rior abilities, but equal piety, have complained in 
the language of the prophet, Who hath believed our 
report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord reveal- 
ed?* To some the great householder gives ten 
talents, and to others five j nor does he expect the 
like returns from the latter as from the former, 
He is not a hard master, whatever the slothful 
servant might pretend, reaping where he has not 
Sowed, and gathering where he has not strawed.f 

4. The different means of religion that good men 
enjoy, are another occasion of their different de- 
grees of fruitfulness. 

If the gospel is adapted, as we have shewn it is* 
to promote holiness and animate men to generous 

* Is'aiah- Uii. 1, ^Matt. xxv. I6i 






-£60' Si^CfcHE HEAREES. 

and noble actions, it follows that the more clearly 
it is dispensed, the greater abundance of these 
good effects of it is to be expected. Upon this 
principle christians have the advantage of those 
who flourished under the Patriarchal and Jewish 
dispensations, the present being far preferable in 
point of light and glory to the former. But it is 
the difference among christians themselves we have 
here chiefly in view. And the difference is consid- 
erable, for though the gospel is every where one 
and the same thing, yet the manner in which it is 
administered is various. Some septsons and cli- 
mates, and some modes of cultivation, are more 
favourable to the fruits of the earth than others. 
So it is here. God bestows different gifts on dif- 
ferent ministers, it seems natural, therefore to ex- 
pect in the ordinary course of things, that they 
who sit under a singularly edifying and animating 
ministry, should be more exemplary and ornamen- 
tal in their lives than others. They have the 
truths of religion set in a more clear and convinc- 
ing light, and the motives to obedience urged on 
them in a more lively and forcible manner than 
some others j and therefore ought to excel in the 
fruits of holiness. 

The like also may be observed of peculiarly 
striking events of providence which happen to some 
christians. These with the blessing of God be- 
come the happy means of their growth in grace; 
What a rapid progress do they make in the divine 
life,, amidst these extraordinary cultivations? 



Sincere hearers* S61 

How do they aliound in lore and good works ! 
While their fellow christians who go on in a 
smooth path, seldom or ever tried in the furnace 
of affliction or emptied from vessel to vessel ; give 
few distinguishing proofs of flaming zeal for the 
glory of God, and disinterested benevolence to- 
wards mankind. Hence our Lord says, speaking 
of himself as the vine and of his Father as the 
husbandman, Every branch that bearcth fruit, he 
purgeth iU that it may bring forth -more fruit:* 
plainly intimating that as there are degrees of 
fruitfulness among christians, so the increase re- 
markable in some instances is owing to the extra- 
ordinary measures divine Providence is pleased 
to take with them, — From hence we are led to ob- 
serve, 

5. That the comparative different state, $f Tzllsi^* 
in one christian and another, is the more immedi- 
ate and direct cause of their different fruitfulness. 

It is not our province, as I said before, to enter 
into men's hearts, to examine what passes there, 
and comparing their supposed inward tempers and 
feelings, to pronounce upon their respective cha- 
racters. But this plain general truth we may 
affirm, leaving every one to apply it to himself, 
that in proportion as religion is on the advance or 
decline in a man's heart, so will his external con- 
duct be more or less exemplary. If faith, love, 
and joy are in lively exercise, there will be cor- 

* John xv. 2 V 



gM SINCERE HEABERS. 

respondent expressions of these tempers in his lifcv 
Deeply impressed with the reality of future and 
eternal things, warmed at his very heart with the 
love of God in Christ, and sweetly refreshed with 
a sense of the divine savour; he will be strictly 
•onscientious in all his intercourses with others, 
temperate in the use of worldly enjoyments, pa- 
tient under his afflictions, ready to. distribute td 
the wants of others, and vigorous in his endeavours 
to advance the glory of God, and promote the best 
interests of mankind. 

But if these divine principles are in a weak 
sickly declining state, the torpor that has seized 
©n his mind will affect his external conduct. He 
•will be listless, slothful, and neutral, and though he 
does not absolutely cease to bring, forth fruit, yet 
the fruit he does hear will, he inconsiderable in 
quantity, and of no very pleasing Savour. This 
matter is so clear that 1 need take no further 
pains either to explain or prove it. But while 
we apply this reasoning with all wholesome seve- 
rity to ourselves, I must again caution you against 
the great evil of too hastily judging of others 
from external appearance^ The good works of 
some christians are concealed by an impenetrable 
veil from our view. But supposing they really 
are few, yet if their fewness may be imputed to 
either of the causes before-mentioned, let us not 
be fond of setting it down to this cause, the most 
unfavourable of all, namely an essential defect in 
the spirit and power of religion. — To what ha^ 



SINCERE HEARERS, t8S 

iteen said I have only to add one other- reason of 
this variety among christians, and that is, 

6. And lastly, the greater or less effusion of di^ 
"vine influences. 

In regard of husbandry, how much the largeness 
of the crop depends upon the favourableness of the> 
season, we have had occasion to shew: indeed 
without the aid of the sun and dew, and the bles-* 
sing of God, though the ground were ever so well 
manured and sown, there would be no crop at all, 
The Lord blessed Isaac; and so having sowed in th# 
kind of the Philistines, he received in the same yeav 
4in hundred-fold.* In like manner, clear as it i-i 
4hat every christian ought to bring forth fruit, it 
is also evident that his endeavours will be vaia 
without the divine assistance and blessing. But 
where more than ordinary fruits are brought fortlv 
as in the instances of some eminent men that 
might be mentioned ; it would be strange if we did 
not acknowledge, that a more than ordinary mea- 
sure of the Holy Spirit is poured upon such per* 
■ions. The noble exploits of an illustrious army 
of confessors and martyrs, who have contended 
with principalities and powers, and gained a com- 
plete victory over them, are only to be accounted 
for on this principle. And if their good work* 
are more numerous and brilliant than those of the 
common class of christians, if they have brought 
\fcx4fa fruit a hundred fold, and these only sixty j the 

* Ges. mvi, 1£, 



£64 SINCERE CREAKEKSV 

former gratefully ascribe their superiority to th& 
grace of God, while both the one ami the other 
humbly acknowledge, they have not improved 
their talents to the degree that might be expected. 

Thus have we stated the fact respecting the dif- 
ferent degrees of fruitfulness remarkable among 
christians, and considered the true grounds and 
reasons of it. — It now remains that we represent, 

IV. The blessedness of those who, hearing the 
tvord, and keeping it in honest and good hearts^ 
bring forth the fruits of holiness. This, as we 
have observed, is implied, though not expressed in 
ihe parable. And if we consider the pleasure that 
accompanies ingenuous obedience — the evidence 
■which thence arises to the uprightness of the heart 
*— the respect in which a man of this character is 
held among his feliow-christians — and the rewards 
he shall hereafter receive at the hands of the Lord 
Jesus Christ, we shall readily pronounce him a 
happy man. 

1. As to the pleasure that accompanies ingenu- 
ous obedience. 

Great peace have they, says David, who love thy 
law, and nothing shall offend them.* And Solomon 
assures us that the ways of rvisdom, that is of holi- 
ness, are ~vay$ of pleasantness, and all her paths 
are peace.] Much might be said here of the plea- 
sures of inward religion, the comforts which arise 
from communion with God, a sense of his favour* 

* Psal, €3<;i2E. 165. 4 Prov, iii. 17* 



SINCERE HEARERS* 26a 

m\(\ the hope of eternal life. But I have my eye 
at present not so much on the contemplative and 
devotional, as the practical part of religion. And 
€an any one doubt that a regular attention to duty 
upon right principles is accompanied with plea- 
sure? Multitudes indeed shrink hack from it- 
They account time spent in the worship of God 
long and tedious; acts of compassion and benevo- 
lence, if not of justice, a severe tax upon pleasure 
and property ; and all restraints laid upon their 
exorbitant passions and appetites, a most intolera- 
ble burden. But it' they had a taste for communion 
w ith the greatest and -best of Beings, if they had 
hearts susceptible of humane and generous feel- 
ings, and if they knew the value of temperance and 
moderation ; how would they love the habitation 
of God's house, and the place where his honor 
dwelleth ! how would they rejoice in doing good to 
the souls and bodies of their fellow-creatures! and 
with what satisfaction and cheerfulness would they 
daily partake of the bounties of Providence ! 

Such is the character of the real christian : how 
happy a man therefore must he be ! I mean when 
he acts in character: for it must not be denied, 
that his heart is sometimes out of tune for devo- 
tional exercises, that he is not always alike dispos- 
ed to benevolent exertions, and that his appetites 
and passions too often rebel against his prevailing 
inclinations, though they gain not the absolute 
mastery over them. And hence all that pain he 
feels at his heart, and all that sadness which ap- 



166 SINCERE HEARERS. 

pears on Jus countenance. It is not his bringing 
forth fruit that makes him' unhappy, but his bring- 
ing forth no more fruit, and, in his own modest ap- 
prehension, scarce any at all. Holiness and happi- 
ness are intimately connected: were that perfect 
and unmixed, this would be so too. But though 
the best obedience the christian can render hath 
no merit in it, and he would reprobate the most 
distant idea of pleading it at the tribunal of jus- 
tice; yet surely it hath its pleasures. Make trial 
of it, christian. You have made trial. Tell me 
thf r-^you who rank among the most unfruitful of 
Christ's real disciples, whether you have not tast- 
ed a sweetness in holy duties, a satisfaction in acts 
of brotherly-kindness, and a pleasure in the mode- 
rate use of worldly enjoyments, that infinitely ex- 
ceeds all the boasted joys of profane and wicked 
men ? Would you then be happy, go and bring 
forth fruity do all the good you can, and give God 
the glory. 

5. Fruitful ness affords a noble proof of a man's 
uprightness, and so tends indirectly as well as di- 
rectly to promote his happiness. 

With what anxiety does the sincere but timo- 
rous christian often put the following questions to 
himself! — " Am I renewed by the grace of God ? 
Have I ingenuously repented of my sins? Do I 
truly believe in the Lord Jesus Christ? Is there 
a spark of real love in my breast to the divine 
Saviour? And may I venture to reckon myself 
among the number of his disciples?" Important 



SINCERE HEARERS. £6f 

questions ! Our comfort is much concerned in 
obtaining satisfactory answers to them. But how 
do we expect to have them answered ? There is 
such a thing as God's spirit bearing witness with 
our spirits, that we are the children of God.* But 
the asking in a right manner the testimony of 
God's Spirit, implies the paying a due regard to 
the testimony of our own spirit. And by what 
evidence are we to judge of the truth or falsity of 
this testimony, but that which is laid down in the 
word of God ? And what is that?— It is our bear- 
ing fruit. Herein is my Father glorified* says Christ, 
that ye bear mnchfrnit, so shall ye be my disciples, 
or so shall ye give proof that ye are my disciples.f 
Hereby we know that we know him, if we keep his 
commandments, that is, if we aim to keep his 
commandments.:): Again, every one that doetk 
onsness is born of God§. 
And now if. from a regard to the authority of 
God and a sense of our infinite obligations to his 
grace, we make it our aim to bring forth the fruits' 
of holiness; though these fruits may not be g, hun- 
dred, or sixty, but only thirty fold ; though through 
a combination of circumstances they may be very 
inconsiderable indeed : yet we possess an authen- 
tic testimony that we are the genuine disciples of 
Christ. And the knowledge of this tends directly 
to promote our peace and happiness. But what 

* Rom. vili. 16; f John xv. 8. 

i l John ii. 3, § i John ii, 29, 



368 SltfeEUE HEARERS* 

a further accession of strength does this evidence 
receive, from that abundance of fruitfulness which 
distinguishes gome characters from others! An 
apostle who brought forth an hundred fold, con- 
scious that he acted from the purest motives, and 
receiving the immediate testimony of God's Spirit, 
eoulcl not fail of having every doubt respecting his 
state removed, and so enjoying a full assurance of 
faith. And how unspeakable must his happiness 
have been ! Who that fears God does not envy 
him of the sweet peace, the abiding satisfaction, 
and triumphant joy he possessed? 

Should not this then serve as one motive, among 
itiany others, to animate us to love and obedience? 
And if we are so happy as to arrive at an assu- 
rance of hope, that fruitfulness which may have 
contributed to clear up our evidence of interest in 
the favour of God, will not sooth our vanity, but 
foe humbly and thankfully acknowledged to have 
originated from the seasonable influence and as- 
distance of divine grace. View the christian then 
walking in the light of God's countenance, and 
having the joyful testimony of his own conscience, 
that in simplicity and godly sincerity he has his 
conversation in the world ; and say, whether he is 
not of all men the most happy ? 

3. The esteem, too, in which he is held among 
his fellow-christians, must contribute not a little 
to his comfort. 

To be honoured and loved by wise and good 
»en is a great blessing. This blessing we may 



SINCERE HEARERS, 269 

Covet and if we bring forth fruit we shall enjoy it. 
The world indeed, reproved by our good deeds, 
will hate us ,° slothful professors, not caring to im- 
itate us, will disgustfully turn away their atten- 
tion from us ; but in the eye of those vvho truly 
fear God we shall be the excellent of the earth. 
They will be fond of associating with us, and feel 
an attachment of heart to us like that of David to 
Jonathan. 

Whatever in the creation is beautiful and useful, 
and best answers the ends of its existence, will 
be admired bv a sensible observer. When I 2:0 
through a field covered with a golden crop, or 
walk in a garden laden with rich fruits, the sight 
pleases my eye : I praise the hand that cultivated 
the one and dressed the other, and give glory to 
the God of nature who crowned their labours with 
Lis blessing. In like manner, when I see a chris- 
tian acting under the influence of his principles, 
bridling his passions, cherishing every noble and 
generous sentiment, copying after the example of 
his divine Master, going about doing good, and 
giving the most undisguised proofs of meekness, 
benevolence and piety; ! how pleasing is the 
sight ! I stand and gaze upon him, I feel I love 
him, I wish to have him for my most intimate 
friend, I pray God to bless him, and I rejoice in 
the hope of spending an eternal sabbath in his 
company. 

Good nature, learning, wit, and other shining 
talents have their attractions j but "a man of the 



r $g$ SINCERE HEARERS. 

character I am describing, though of inferior mei*« 
tal abilities, is far more amiable in the eye of hint 
whose senses are exercised to discern good and 
evil, than the most exalted genius that is destitute 
of the fear of God. There is no comparison be- 
tween them. Angels hail the former, but despise 
the latter. These are held in detestation by God 
Hie Judge of all, those are greatly beloved by him j 
for their bosoms are the temples of the Holy 
Ghost.— Once mure, 

4. How glorious will be the rewards which the 
fruitful christian will receive, at the hands of th$ 
great husbandman, on the day of harvest ! 

That day is approaching. Mark the perfect man* 
'iehold the upright, for the end of that vftan is peace.* 
Going down to death like a shock of corn fully 
ripe, the precious grain shall lie secure in the bo- 
som of the earth ; angels shall keep their vigils 
about it ; while the immortal spirit, acquiring its 
highest degree of perfection, shall join the com- 
pany of the blessed above. These w ill hail the 
stranger, with loud acclamations of joy, to the 
mansions prepared for its residence in heaven : 
and these too, unused to censure and detraction, 
will applaud his works that follow him thither 
with heart-felt approbation and delight. Yea, the 
blessed Jesus himself, whose word was the seed 
whence all this fruit sprung, and whose Spirit 
gave life and energy to it; will say, Wdl done 

• gsalox xxxvli. 37« 



SINCERE HEAKERS. 2£1 

good and faithful servant ; enter thou into the joy of 
thy Lord.* Nor is this all. At the day of the re- 
surrection, the body, whose members had been in* 
struments of righteousness unto God;\ shall be 
changed, and fashioned like unto the glorious body 
of Christ 9 according to the working whereby he is 
able even to subdue all things to himself $ And thus, 
united to a pure and spiritual body, the christian, 
amidst an infinite multitude of others who had 
heard the word, and kept it, and brought forth the 
fruits of it; shall be acknowledged, approved, and 
applauded by the sentence of Christ his righteous 
judge, pronounced in the presence of the whole 
world. So shall he and they be caught up with 
the ascending Saviour to the abodes of bliss above^ 
and there be forever with the Lord. 

And now, all these things laid together, how 
great is the blessedness of the fruitful christian ! 
What remains then, but that we take fire at these 
considerations, .and resolve, in a humble depen* 
dance on divine grace, that we will endeavour to 
outdo each other in love and good works! tlas 
our divine Master redeemed us with his precious 
blood, obtained the Holy Spirit to renew and sanc- 
tify us, blessed us with the means of grace, set be- 
fore us his own perfect example, and given us such 
exceeding great and precious promises? And shall 
we content ourselves, after all this expence he has 
been at for our good, with making him the returx) 

• jMatt. xxv. 21 . t R om. vi, 12, J Philip. jji, gjL 



27& SINCERE HEARERS, 

of a few. cold heartless services, for the promoting 
his honour and interest in the world ? No, chris- 
tian ! Such conduct would be most ungrateful and 
disingenuous. Let me beseech you then, my be- 
loved brethren, to be stedfast, immoveable, always 
abounding in the work of the Lord ; forasmuch as 
ye "know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.* 
And as the word of the kingdom is the seed 
whence fruitfulness is to be expected, let us receive 
it with meekness, remembering that it is able to 
save our souls.} And let our Saviour's own ex- 
hortation, with the explanation and improvement 
of which we shall close these discourses ; have its 
due weight with us all, Who hath ears to hear, let 



* 1 Cor. sv. 58. f James u 21. 



DISCOURSE VT. ,,. 

The duty of consideration explained andt 
enforced. 



PART L 

Matt. xiii. 9. 
Who hath ears to hear, let him hears 

AN such manner does our Saviour close the Par- 
able of the Sower, exhorting his hearers with great 
earnestness and affection,^ to well weigh and con- 
sider what he had said. The same phrase occurs 
in other parts of scripture ;f and was well adapted, 
as here used by our Lord, to convey the following 
ideas to the minds of the people — that the discourse 
he had been delivering was parabolical-— that the 
truth veiled under the parable was most important 

* Tauta Igon sphonei — So Luke introduces the text, ch. viii 9 
ver. 8. — which words Dr. Doddridge thus paraphrases, " When 
he had said these things, he cried out with a louder voice than 
before, &c." 

f Matt, xi. 15— xiil. 43. Rev; ft 7, 11, 17, 29. — III. 6 5 1J, 
■22.— *».& - 



274 THE DUTY O^ 

— that their seriously considering it was absolute- 
ly necessary to their profiting by it — and that they 
were not to complain it was unintelligible, for 
that, if they were not benefitted by his instructions, 
the fault would be in the perverseness of their 
wills, rather than in any defect in their natural or 
mental powers. Let us briefly elucidate these re- 
marks, before we proceed to the main point in 
view, which is the explaining and enforcing the 
great duty of considering the word preached. 

1. Our Lord evidently meant, by the language 
of the text, to remind his hearers, that it was 
an apologue, fable, or parable lie had been deliv- 
ering. 

This mode of instruction obtained much in an- 
cient times and eastern countries, as we have had 
occasion to observe before $ and it was usual too, 
either at the beginning or close of the discourse, to 
intimate as much to the audience. So that out- Sa- 
viour's audience would have been inexcusable, had 
they gone away pretending, that all he had been 
doing was to give them a lecture in husbandry, or 
to amuse them with an idle tale of sowing and 
reaping, matters they well enough understood be- 
fore. Indeed, from our Lord's general character 
and manner of preaching, they might naturally 
enough presume something more than this was in- 
tended : but his saying thus at the close, Who hath 
ears to hear, let him hear ; or, in other words, re- 
member all this is a parable, was putting the mat- 
ter beyond a doubt- 



CONSIDERATION, &C £75 

g. By this mode of expression they were further 
reminded, that the several truths veiled under this 
parable were most interesting and important. 

It is as much as if he had said, «* Think not I 
have been trifling with you. No. The instruc- 
tion just given you is of the last consequence. to your 
present and future welfare. I am a divine teacher. 
I come to inform your understandings, and do 
good to your hearts. And be assured, if it is of 
importance to the preservation of animal life, that 
your grounds are cultivated and bring forth fruit 
at the proper season ; it is of infinitely greater 
importance, that your souls are renewed by the 
grace of God, and that ye are rich in good works. 9 * 

3. The direct purport of the exhortation was, 
to persuade them to consider what they had heard. 

** Think not," as if he had said, <*it is enough 
that ye have heard my words. There is a further 
duty lying upon you. E,eco!lect my sayings, 
Meditate upon them. Consider the truths, couch- 
ed under them. Lay them up in your memories 
and hearts. Endeavour to get the better of your 
prejudices. Pray to God to open your under- 
standings, and change your hearts. And reduce 
what has been said to practice." Thus does our 
Lord teach his hearers the absolute necessity of 
seriously considering the word, in order to their 
profiting by it. — Once more, 

4. He in effect tells them, that if they were not 
benefitted by w hat they heard, the fault was rather 



-w® 



VHE DUTY W 



\ 



In their will than their understanding, Who Tiafk 
ears to hear* let him hear. 

Here is a clear distinction observed between the 
natural and moral powers of the soul, that is, the 
understanding and judgment on the one part, and 
the will and affections on the other. As to the 
former, enervated .and broken as our reasoning 
powers are*, men in general cannot pretend that 
they are absolutely incompetent to consideration. 
If indeed they were wholly destitute of a capacity 
of perceiving, comparing, and reflecting; it'wers 
as great a folly to reason with them, as it would 
l>e to utter articulate sounds in the ear of him who 
is irrecoverably deaf. How absurd to say to him 
that has lost the organ of hearing, f*ear ! And 
how absurd to say to him that is absolutely insane, 
Understand ! But this is not the case. Men can 
affix ideas to what we say. They can lay them 
together, and infer from them. They can think 
of the facts and doctrines of religion. They can 
consider of their evidence and importance. And 
they can examine themselves upon the question, 
liow they stand affected towards them. Yea, more 
than this, they tor the most part presume that 
their faculties are clearer and stronger than they 
really are. So that to exhort those who thus have 
ears to hear, to hear, is by no means irrational. 
And it is upon this ground the many expostula- 
tions and admonitions of the bible* addressed tt 
f^en in their sins, stand* 



€0NSIDEIUTI6]N T , &€• &Y? 

'■But then it is as evident, on the other hand, that 
the will and affections are miserably depraved^ 
Men are stubbornly averse to receive the truth ia 
the love of it. But will any say there is no fault ia 
tliis? If they will, they deny that there is any tur- 
pitude or guilt in human actions, and of conse- 
quence that man is an accountable creature. It i% 
therefore, fit men should be reasoned and expostu- 
lated with, because this agreeably to the original 
construction of their nature, is the proper mode of 
moving and inclining their will. And as it is the 
method God has appointed, such reasonings and 
expostulations we may hope will be accompanied 
with a divine energy, and so become happily ef- 
fectual* 

The text thus explained, we proceed to the grand 
point we have in view in this discourse, which is, 

I. To represent to you the duty which men owe 
to the word they hear; and, 

II. To enforce it with suitable motives. 

I. Let us consider the duty our Saviour incul* 
eates on those to whom the word is preached. 

Here, in order to do justice to our subject, it will 
be necessary, previous to our entering upon it, to 
say a few things respecting the duty of those who 
preach. Ministers ought themselves surely to con- 
sider what they say, if they expect the people to 
consider it. What right has any man to obtrude 
the wild indigested reveries of his own wandering 
Imagination upon others, and to insist upon their* 
Ib^aring him with attention and patience ? There is 

24 



■6f8 ^THE DUTY Q£ 

ho law either of God or man to authorize the levy- 
ing so heavy a tas upon any audience. Certainly 
if we would have others hear us, we should say 
'something worth their hearing. To this end, 

1. Let us take care to digest properly in our own 
taiinds the subject on which we mean to discourse 
to others. 

The apostle's advice to Timothy is directly in 
|>oint to what I am here recommending : Study to 
shew thyself approved unto God, a "workman that 
meedeth not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of 
truth.* How can we make that plain to others of 
which we have no clear idea ourselves? And how 
m&n we get clear ideas upon any subject, without 
duly considering it? If this be a dictate of corn- 
anon sense, as it certainly is, with what decency 
can he who pours out his extemporaneous effusions 
aipon the people, say at the close of his unmeaning 
liarangue, Who hath ears to hear, let him hear .? 
This is little better than adding insult to folly. 

Indeed our Saviour directs his apostles, when 
they should be brought before rulers and kings for 
Ms sake, to take no thought before hand what they 
should speak, nor to premeditate, for it should be 
given them in that hour what they should speak.] But 
who does not See thstt this was an extraordinary 
•ase, and that therefore for any man to suppose he 
is justified by this passage in the neglect of pre- 
meditation, is not only to reason falsely, but in 

? 2 Tim. ». 15* J Mark xiii. 1$, 



tftXSIDERATlOX, &C. "27§ 

direct defiance of the apostle's admonition to Tim- 
othy just mentioned, and many others of the like 
nature. Let us then, my brethren, whose (\nty it 
is to instruct others, endeavour to get all tha 
knowledge we can, and be conscientiously labor i- 
ous in our preparations for the service of the sanc- 
tuary. This is tlie voice of common* sense, of 
scripture, and of a-1! considerate people who wish 
to be benefitted by rittr instructions. 

2. Care also is to be taken about the manner as 
well as the matter of our discourse. 

It is beneath the dignity of his character, who 
brings a message from heaven, and treats with 
men on subjects of the highest concernment, to us© 
the er.ticing words of man's wisdom, or to affect} 
the pompous language of vain rhetoricians. But 5 
while he is careful to avoid a style that is bombast 
and tumid, and indeed every thing that looks like 
affectation, he should be cautious how he degene- 
rates into the opposite extreme. Rude and bar- 
barous language, ill-managed metaphors, trite 
stories, quaint conceits, and a long train of other 
trifling puerilities, too common among some iu 
our time ; not only render the man contemptible 
who uses them, but have a very pernicious effect 
upon the generality of hearers. Their judgment 
is perverted, instead of being informed ; their ears 
are tickled, instead of their hearts being mad© 
better; and, to say the best, if they are not dis- 
gusted, they are yet only amused. An easy plain 
natural style, alike remote from pedantry and bar- 



,280 flffifc toTTf* OBr 

barism, "best becomes the authority and import- 
ance of divine truth : sound speech that cannot be 
condemned.* 

Nor is it to edification, for the sake of pleasing 
a few polite hearers, to throw our discourses into 
a declamatory essaying form, and affectedly dis- 
guise the method we lay down to ourselves. We 
should ever remember we are speaking to the 
plainest capacities; and as the arranging our ideas 
properly is necessary to our being understood, so 
the giving each division of our discourse its de- 
nomination of number, has a happy effect to assist 
•the attention and memory of our hearers. 

And then as to voice and action, having taken 
pains with ourselves to correct what is manifestly 
improper and disgusting ; it may be safely left to 
nature, and the kind of impulse excited by the 
Subject on which we are treating, to guide us spon- 
taneously in these matters. Clearly understand- 
ing what we say, and deeply feeling its truth and 
importance, our manner will be, not trifling, dull, 
and formal, but grave, sensible, and enlivening.— 
Which leads me to observe, 

3. That we should look well to our aims and 
views in discoursing of the great things of God. 

The end w r e propose in any matter, will have a 
considerable influence on the means we use to at- 
tain it. The more interesting our object is, the 
more assiduous will be our endeavours to compass 

* Titus ii. ii 

■ 



CONSIDERATION, &C. £81 

it. Now the glory of God, and the salvation of 
immortal souls, are the most noble and important 
ends we can possibly have in view. The more 
therefore our minds are occupied with these ideas, 
and the more deeply our hearts are affected with 
them, the greater pains we shall take to be masters 
of the subjects we treat of, and to discuss them in 
such manner as shall be to the edification of those 
who hear us. Wherefore the preserving a lively 
sense of religion on our hearts, has a direct ten- 
dency to promote both our acceptableness, and our 
usefulness. Animated by a pure zeal for the lion-* 
our of Christ and the success of his gospel, we 
shall study diligently and preach fervently. — To 
which I have only to add, 

4. That our dependance should be firmly placed 
on the gracious and seasonable influences of the 
Holy Spirit. 

A growing experience of the vital power of reli- 
gion, and an increasing sense of the difficulty and 
importance of our work, will not fail to convince 
us of the need we stand in of superior assistance. 
That assistance therefore, both in our studies and 
public ministrations, we should earnestly implore, 
encouraged by the many - gracious promises of 
God's word to that end. Nor should our views 
terminate here, but extend to the salutary effect of 
our instructions upon the hearts of men, which is 
not to be expected without a divine blessing : for 
were a Paul to plant or an Apollos to water, if 
would be all vain, if God gave not the increase, - 

24^ 



%m THE BUTT OF 

And now, thus prepared, we have a right, be 
our audience who they may, to adopt the language 
of our Master, and with authority to say, Who 
hath ears to hear, let Mm hear. Upon the grounds 
of common sense as well as religion we may de- 
mand their most serious attention. And I have 
the rather chose to be thus particular on the duty 
of ministers, as it gives me the better title to that 
freedom and earnestness which I mean to use in 
explaining and enforcing the duty of consideration, 
to which we now proceed. — And here the first 
thing we have to recommend is, 

FIRST, Some kind of preparation previous to 
our hearing the word. 

If we mean to attend to an argument upon any 
subject, we should compose ourselves to the busi- 
ness ; especially, if the subject is important, and 
the discussion of it likely to take up time. Justice 
can be done to no argument, if we come not to the 
consideration of it with minds diverted of preju- 
dice and passion, and in a calm self-collected state. 
This therefore we may reasonably demand of all 
who attend upon the public preaching of the gos- 
pel, even those who may as yet have their doubts 
of its divine authority. For the question respect- 
ing its truth, is and must be acknowledged, by 
them as well as others, to be important. But the 
sort of persons I have here chiefly in my eye, are 
not occasional hearers, or those who now and then 
out of mere curiosity drop into places of public 
worship, but those who statedly attend the minis- 



CONSIDERATION, &C. 283 

try of the word. To you we say, and especially 
in regard of the day devoted to divine service : 
Keep your feet when ye go to the house of God, and 
be ready, be disposed to hear,* in a temper of 
mind suited to the service in which you are to en* 
gage. 

On the morning of that day, in your retirement, 
consider seriously with yourself what you are 
about. Say to yourself— -the soliloquy is natural 
and in all probability will be useful. — u I am go- 
ing to a place where God is worshipped, and 
where what is said to be his word is discoursed of. 
What is the end I propose to myself in going thith- 
er? Is it merely to conform to custom, and to 
oblige my friends and neighbours? Or am I dis- 
posed to listen to what the preacher may say, and 
to give it that consideration, which its importance 
as a message from God (for that is its claim) de- 
mands ? Both decency and good sense teach, that 
my going to a place of public instruction obliges 
me to pay all due attention to the speaker. The 
matter to be discoursed of carries importance up- 
on the very face of it. It respects my well-being 
in this world and in that to come. I therefore do 
myself injustice if I enter not coolly into the argu- 
ment, and so consider it as to be able to determine 
whether the doctrine be true or false, to be receiv- 
ed or rejected. Should the latter upon good 
grounds appear to be the case, I shall be justified 

* Eccles. v, 3, 



-5284 THE DUTY OF 

in absenting myself for the future from a place 
where error and falsehood is propagated, and so 
bearing my testimony against it. I shall have 
done my duty, and have the satisfaction of acting 
agreeable to it. Such conduct will be manly and 
approve itself to God and my own conscience. But 
on the contrary, if I go thither out of custom or 
purely to gratify my curiosity, and pay no other 
attention to the business than 1 Mould to any idle* 
tale told me in common discourse, I violate the laws 
of decency and good manners : and if what I hear 
should after all turn out to be true, my reaping no 
advantage from it will be my own fault, and my 
condemnation another day the more tremendous. 
I will therefore seriously consider what I am 
about. I will endeavour to thrust from my mind 
all impertinent thoughts, and all anxieties about 
worldly affairs. I will impose silence upon my 
passions, lay my prejudices under an interdict, 
and go to what is called the house of God with all 
the coolness and composure I can command." 

Were you thus to reason with yourself, previous 
to your entrance on* the public duties of the day, 
and then on your knees humbly and fervently im- 
plore the blessing of God on what you are about, 
you would be likely to receive advantage from the 
word preached. Resolve therefore to act after 
this mariner.* What I have urged is a dictate of 

* Here give me leave to recommend " Short Meditations on 
Select Portions of Scripture," chiefly designed to be read on the 
morning of this day; by the Rev. Mr. Turner of Abingdon. — 
To which are added, <c Considerations on the Custom of Visiting 
on Sunday.'* 



ct>?rsibEKATio*r, &d* £S5 

CCftftnon sense, and whether religion be or bi 
fiot true, you have no other alternative left you 
than either to abandon public worship entirely, or 
to address yourself to it with the seriousness and 
self-collection that have been recommended. — The 
next thing to be considered is, 

SECONDLY, How we ought to behave oui> 
pelves in the house of God. 

At the time agreed on for the public worships 
all who mean to join in it should be present. Peter 
and John went up to the temple at the hour of pray" 
eiv* And Cornelius, when Peter entered his house 
to preach the word to him and his family, thus sa- 
lutes him, Now are we all here present before God, 
to hear all things that are commanded thee of God.f 
4Fhe coming in after the service is begun is very 
indecent. It is disturbing both to him who leads 
the worship, and to those who are engaged in it. 
But this is not all, it has an ill influence on what 
follows. Prayer and praise, with which public 
"worship is usually introduced, are themselves im- 
portant branches of duty ; but their utility in con- 
nexion with preaching is also very considerable. 
The mind by a serious and devout attention to 
these duties, is put into a suitable frame and tem- 
per for hearing the word. Having sung the praises 
of God with elevation of heart, and fervently ask- 
ed his assistance in attending to what may be spo- 
ken, we shall be likely to give the more earnest: 

* Acts ill. 1. f Actsx, 33, 



$8$ «tf£I* DUTY ©T^ 

heed to the tilings that we hear. He therefore win* 
indecently comes in at a late hour, deprives him- 
self of this natural and proper mean of prepara- 
tion for what is to follow. Let 'us 'then come ear- 
ly to the house of God^ 

And need we he told in what manner we should 
behave ourselves there? Can it he right to com- 
pose ourselves quietly to sleep? or to-be incessant- 
ly gazing about on the congregation? or to be 
wholly employed in observing the person and 
watching the attitude and manrer of the speaker? 
©r to suffer our thoughts to wander, like the fooiV 
eye, to the e&ds of the earth ? He who treats pub-r 
lie instruction after this manner, violates the laws 
of decency and common sense, and defeats all the 
useful purposes which he would be supposed to 
have in visw by making one of the audience. His- 
presence says he came thither to hear: his beha- 
viour the contrary. How absurd ! My coming to 
the assembly is a tacit avowal of my intention to- 
listen to the discourse : that and that only ought 
to occupy my mind. On the tongue of the preach- 
er my ear should hang; his views I should endea- 
vour to comprehend ; his reasonings I should dili- 
gently attend to ; and the thread of his discourse I 
should closely follow. If prejudice arises, it 
should be opposed. If passion disturbs, it should 
be suppressed. In short, the service should be be- 

* See Dr. Addington's " Serious Address to Christian Wor- 
shippers, on the Importance of an early Atte-ndance upon Pub- r 
■lie Worship," 



CONSIDERATION, &€. 38? 

gun, proceeded in, and concluded with a regard to 
God; and with a sincere wish to do justice to the 
argument, to the speaker, and to myself, A man 
who thus hears cannot fail, methinks, of being 
more or less profited. 

But how much the reverse of this is the case ia 
most christian assemblies you need not be told. 
The countenances of too many hearers force upon 
our minds a suspicion of their thoughtlessness and 
inattention, and their conduct afterwards puts the 
matter beyond a doubt. But can this be right? 
No, certainly. Who hath ears, then, to hear, lei 
Mm hear. — But there is, 

THIRDLY, A duty fyiiig upon us after w^i 
have heard the word. And upon this you will al- 
low me to be particular, as I apprehend the effect 
-of the word, with the blessing of God, depend* 
chiefly upon it. 

Recollection is what I mean, together with self- 
application and prayer. Who hath ears to hear, 
let him hear. As if he had said, "1 have discoursed 
to you upon matters of the highest importance. Do 
not think, now the discourse is ended, that the bu- 
siness is all over. Carry away what I have said 
in your memories. Call it over in your retire- 
ments. Consider it in ^>\ery possible light it caa 
be viewed. Apply it to yourselves. Make it the 
subject of your conversation with others. Fray 
mightily to God for his blessing upon it. An(| 
frequently advert to it in the course of the week^ 
4hat so it may have its influence upon your tena- 



SS8 



THE BUTT 05 



pers, words, and actions." So the apostle, when 
he had been exhorting Timothy to his duty, adds, 
Consider what I say ; and the Lord give thee under- 
standing in all things.* 

Now the business of recollection, if properly at- 
tended to, will require resolution, self-denial, and 
prudence. Give me leave therefore to assist yoR 
an it, by recommending the three following expe- 
dients — Avoid as much as possible every thing 
that may tend to dissipate your mind, and render 
you incapable of consideration and recollection. — 
Be not fond of hearing more than you can retain 
and digest. — Make a point of retiring at the close 
of the day, for the purpose of recollection and 
grayer. 

1. Avoid as much as possible every thing that 
Eiay tend to dissipate the mind, and render it in- 
capable of consideration and recollection. 

Some will look upon this caution as savouring 
of pharisaical severity and gloominess, and scarce 
consistent with that cheerfulness which ought to 
prevail among christians on a day they consider 
as a festival. Give me leave therefore, before I 
explain myself, to protest against every thing that 
looks like grimace in religion, or that tends to be- 
get an unfavourable idea of any of its duties, as if 
they were hard and rigourous. No. The day we 
dedicate to divine service ought to be deemed the 
jpjeasantest in all the week. And if^ when wejast# 

* 2 Tim. ii. f. 



CONSIDERATION*, &C. <g$9 

we should not be as the hypocrites of a sad counter 
:mnce 9 much less should we be so on this day. Ra- 
ther let us anoint our head and wash our face,* put 
on our best apparel, look smilingly on all around 
us, and eat our meat with gladness and singleness of- 
hearty 

But surely there are indulgences which, howev- 
•r allowable at other times, are not compatible 
with the right discharge of the duties of this day. 
Dress we must, but let us not employ so much of 
the morning in decking our persons, as to preclude 
the devotion of the closet and the family. Of the 
bounties of Providence we may cheerfully partake 
tA noon, but what occasion for superfluities ? These 
can scarce be provided, without imposing such 
services on our domestics, as will deprive them of 
the religious advantages they have a right to 
claim, and would otherwise calmly enjoy. The 
delicacies too of the table may prove a temptation, 
and indispose us to that attention which the ser- 
vices of the afternoon demand. A slight repast, 
therefore, seems the fittest for the intervals of pub- 
lic worship. 

And, methinks, every sober person must see the 
great impropriety, not to say indecency, of receiv- 
ing and returning visits on this day, and indeed of 
mingling promiscuously with hny company but 
that of our own families. Suppose a man to have 
listened ever so attentively to the word preached, 

• Matt. Ti. 10, 17. | Acts il. *6, 



%%% THE DUTY ©r 

if the moment he passes out of the assembly lie 
joins the company of vain light dissipated people, 
whose wish it is to get rid of every serious 
thought ; how is he likely to be profited by what 
lie has heard ? Or if the company he falls into are 
of another cast, it is not improbable his attention 
may, by a variety of circumstances, be unduly di- 
verted from the solemnities of public worship, in 
which he had been just engaged. In this way, I 
am persuaded, the salutary effect of impressions 
areceived in the house of God hath in a vast many 
instances been defeated. Is it not better then 
to retire calmly to our houses, and there pursue 
our duty in the manner good sense and our bibles 
direct ? 

2. Be not fond of hearing more than you cam 
yetaui and digest. 

There is such a thing as intemperance in regard 
of the mind as well as the body : and if excessive 
eating may be as hurtful to the constitution as ex- 
cessive abstinence, it is also true of the mind, that 
the hearing more than is fit, may be very nearly as 
injurious as the not hearing at all. A great abun- 
dance of instruction poured into the ear, without 
sufficient intermission for reflection and practice, 
is extremely prejudicial : it confounds the judg- 
ment, overburdens the memory, and so jades the 
mind as so render it incapable of recollecting af- 
terwards what it had heard, and of calmly deli- 
berating thereon. 

Where, indeed, the only object is the gratifica- 
tion of idle curiosity, and persons are more intent 



CONSIDERATION, &CV 291 

on circumstances than things; and where th© 
preacher, instead of reasoning on the great truths 
of religion, and addressing himself to the conscien- 
ces of men, spends the whole time in declaiming, 
allegorizing, or telling tales ; a great deal may be 
heard with little or no fatigue or expense of spi- 
rits. But in such case what real good does a mau 
get? he is amused without being edified. On the 
contrary, where the true em] of- attending on di- 
vine ordinances is proposed, two sermons a day, 
well studied and attentively heard, are in my opin- 
ion as much as people in common can any way di- 
gest and improve. For we ought ever to remem- 
ber, that our view in hearing the word should be ? 
not merely to have our passions touched, but chief- 
ly our understandings informed and our hearts 
made better. Then are we profited by a sermon, 
when we carry away a clear idea of divine truth, 
and a firm persuasion of its authority and impor- 
tance ; and so are upon just grounds awakened, an- 
imated, and comforted by it. 

Now 7 how is it possible that he who has given 
close attention to three or four such useful ser- 
mons in a day, should be capable in the evening, 
if indeed he had time, to do justice to what he has 
heard? He will go home, at a late hour, fatigued 
w 7 ith the business he has been about, and a mind 
occupied with a chaos of ideas wdiich he has nei- 
ther opportunity nor spirits to arrange, digest, and 
apply to their proper use. And so the pains both 
of the speaker and hearer prove fruitless. I ap~ 



'%%% r IHE BUTT 05 

peal for the truth of what I say to reason and ex- 
perience. 

Upon this principle then I cannot but think it 
my duty, to dissuade those who attend the service 
of the morning and afternoon from frequenting lec- 
tures in the evening. These exercises doubtless 
have their use with respect to many who are so 
circumstanced as not to be able to' attend the form- 
er parts of the day, who have no families, or who, 
if there w^ere no places of public instruction to 
frequent, would be under a temptation to spend 
their evening in idleness and dissipation. And tit 
'so large and populous a city as this, the establish- 
ment of lectures to these purposes, at a convenient 
distance from each other, is an object deserving of 
particular attention and encouragement. But to 
you, sirs, of the former description, give me leave 
with all freedom to say, it is your duty, when th© 
afternoon service is closed, to go home calmly and 
seriously to your families, and see that the worship 
of God is duly observed there. — Which leads me to 
the last expedient recommended, in order to your 
deriving real advantage to yourselves from the 
word preached ; and that is, 

3. The making a point of retiring at the close of 
the day, for the purpose of recollection and prayer. 

By recollection I mean the calling over the sub- 
stance of what we have heard : considering with 
ourselves the particular point discoursed of, the 
manner in which it was stated, the reasoning upon 
it, its agreement with scripture and our own expo 



CONSIDERATION, &C. 593 

rience, and the uses to which it was applied. This 
seriously done, and followed with fervent prayer to 
God for his blessing, we may hope the great truths 
of religion will be deeply ri vetted in our minds, 
make an abiding impression upon our hearts, and 
have a mighty influence upon our tempers and 
practice. 

Prudence will direct how we are to proceed in 
these meditations, what time is to be employed 
therein, and what assistance we may receive by 
discoursing with our family upon these matters. 
But, in general, the duty itself is so reasonable and 
useful, that it should on no account be wholly dis- 
pensed with. As to time, there can be no want of 
opportunity, if you make a point of avoiding com- 
pany, and securing the eveqjng to yourself. As to 
composing your mind to meditation, that may some- 
times be difficult, but it will not always be so, and 
use will make it more and more easy. And as to 
memory, though it be not so retentive as you could 
wish, the enuring yourself to the practice we are 
recommending will assist your memory : and then 
you are to remember, it is not words you are to re- 
collect, but things. 

And now I ask, whether this business we are 
exhorting you to, does not approve itself to your 
judgment and good sense as most fit and necessa- 
ry. When a friend has discoursed with you upon 
any interesting matter respecting your temporal 
affairs, do not your thoughts naturally turn upon 
the subject when you and he are parted? Why.* 

£5^ 






'294 



THE DUTY GI V 



then should you wish to get rid of all recollection, 
•when you have been voluntarily spending an hour 
or two in*hearing subjects discussed, which are 
confessedly of infinitely greater importance? 
Such conduct is disingenuous, foolish, and perni- 
cious. It is a very unkind return to those who 
have been labouring, weeping, and praying for 
your good. It is acting after a manner which 
common sense, if its plain dictates were consulted, 
would condemn. And it tends directly to the de- 
priving you of the greatest good, and the bringing 
guilt and misery upon your conscience. But I for- 
bear at present to urge this, or any other branch 
of the duty recommended, upon you. Our busi- 
ness hitherto has begn only to lay your duty be- 
fore you : in the next sermon we are to enforce ifc 



CONSIDERATION, &C. 295 



PART II. 



B 



Y the exhortation in our text, Who hath ears to 
hear, let him hear; our Saviour meant to remind 
his audience, that it was a parable he had been 
speaking — that the truth veiled under it was most 
important — that their seriously considering it was 
absolutely necessary to their profiting by it- — and 
that, if they were not benefitted by his instructions, 
the fault would be in the perverseness of their wills, 
rather than in the weakness of their natural pow- 
ers, or any obscurity in the form of speech he had 
adopted. These things considered, we have pro- 
ceeded to the object of this discourse which is — to 
represent the duty which men owe to the word they 
hear — and to enforce it with suitable motives. 

The first of these was dispatched in the former 
sermon. Here we sat out with speaking of the du- 
ty of those who preach. They ought to consider 
well what they say : otherwise they cannot with 
reason expect the attention of their audience, nor 
with decency require it. Now if we, sirs, whose 
province it is to address you, are conscientious in 
our preparations for public'work, deliver ourselves 
with a plainness and solemnity suited to the impor- 
tance of our subject, aim at the glory of God and 
your good, and have our eye directed to a divine 



•£9q 



THE DITTY OE 



influence for success ; if we, I say, thus preach, we 
may surely, without the charge of arrogance, de- 
mand your most serious attention. This duty 
therefore, on your part, we have proceeded to ex- 
plain, shewing you — what kind of preparation is 
expedient previous to your hearing the word — how 
you ought to behave during your attendance upon it 
— and the duty that lies upon you after the service is 
concluded — And now we go on, as was proposed, 

II. To enforce what has been said with suitable 
motives. And our first argument shall be taken, 

FIRST, From the decency and fitness of the 
thing itself. 

Good manners is of great importance in society, 
and there is no one precept held in more general 
respect among civilized people, than that of paying 
attention to those who speak to us. If, indeed, a 
man means to affront me, I am justified in turning 
away from him. But in all other cases such con- 
duct is illiberal. It were unworthy of a prince to 
shut his ear against the meanest of his subjects 
whom he admits into his presence; and it would 
be deemed rude behaviour to treat a stranger after 
this manner who asks us a question as we pass the 
streets. But it is the height of indecency to suffer 
ourselves to be addressed in a set discourse, by a 
person of character, and whom we are acquainted 
with ; and to give no heed at all to what he says. 

Such is the case here. It is the duty of minis- 
ters to discourse to us from week to week of the 
great things of God, we regularly attend upon 



COXSIDEUATIOJT, &<v 837 

their ministrations, they are men of character and 
no strangers to us ; and yet* instead of well weigh- 
ing their discourses, we treat them with indiffer- 
ence and neglect. Is this right? Is this decent? 
To seem to hear and not to hear, is to act con- 
formably neither to truth nor to good manners. 
And how can such conduct be justified upon th@ 
common principles of prudence and decorum, set- 
ting aside all regard to reiigon ? If therefore you 
would stand well in the opinion of your neigh- 
bours, as men of sense and good breeding, be per- 
suaded to hear us : if not, go on in your old way, 
and be content to rank with a rude illiterate pea- 
sant, who treats the laboured discourse of a friend 
on some useful subject of civil life with stupid con- 
tempt. — To proceed, 

SECONDLY, Let me remind you of the par- 
ticular obligations you owe to those whose minis- 
trations you attend. 

This is an argument addressed to ingenuity and 
gratitude. Suppose a friend apprehending some 
imminent clanger likely to befal me, were to be at 
great pains to inform me of it, to entreat me with 
tears to take the necessary measures to escape it, 
and to offer me all the assistance in his powers 
should I not be much obliged to him, and ought I 
not to give him an attentive hearing ? On the con- 
trary, were I not only to forbear thanking him, 
but to turn away from him with cold indifference £ 
would not such conduct be disingenuous as well 
.as preposterous ? Would not the feelings of niy 



S9» 



THE DUTY ©F 



friend be greatly hurt, and all about me condemn 
my folly ? Nor would it be a sufficient apology 
for such strange neglect, that I had my doubts of 
the truth of the story : for, however that might be, 
his good-will would be just the same. 

Now such is precisely the case here. Ministers 
warn us of the greatest dangers, and hold up to our 
Yiew the most glorious prospects; with tears en- 
treat us to flee from the wrath to come, and to lay 
hold on the hopes set before us ; offer us every as- 
sistance in their power, study, pray, and preach, 
to save our souls and make us happy. And what 
is the effect of their endeavours? We hear them ; 
but do we take pains to understand them? do we 
lay up the word in our memories, consider of it af- 
terwards, and pray earnestly to God for his bless- 
ing upon it? No. On the contrary, like those in 
the parable, we make light of it, and go our way, 
one to his farm, and the other to his merchandise ;* 
proceed from week to week in the old beaten track 
of hearing and forgetting what we hear, frequent- 
ing the house of God and pursuing the world. 

Now, I ask, is not such conduct both foolish and 
disingenuous ? Certainly it is. Nor can you, sirs, 
excuse it upon any other grounds than will fix an 
imputation upon your understanding.* or your inte- 
grity, or both. For if you conceive of your minis- 
ters as weak and credulous, or as self-interested 
and designing men ,• the question will return, Why 



* Matt, xxir, 5. 



CONSIDERATION &C. £99 

then do you atten d their ministrations ? Your hear- 
ing them, and going on to hear them, lays you un- 
der an obligation to them, from Which nothing can 
discharge you, but that serious consideration of 
what they say which we are so warmly recom- 
mending. 

Let us, however, spend a moment upon the two 
excuses just glanced at. Are these men weak and 
credulous? Possibly some of them may. Yet we 
will venture to affirm, that in general they possess 
as good a share of understanding as others. It is 
acknowledged, indeed, that shining wit, profound 
sense, and great literary attainments are not ne- 
cessary to qualify men to preach the gospel. God 
has sometimes chosen the foolish filings of thew6rld 9 
to confound the wise; and the weak things of the 
world, to confound the things which are mighty.* A 
plain man may clearly state, ably defend, and 
Warmly enforce the great truths of religion. And 
a failure in point of accuracy and judgment, is n© 
reason why you should not consider what is said., 
since the gospel is substantially the same. And 
after all, be the abilities of the speaker more or 
less distinguished, your presence, and especially 
your stated attendance on his ministry, gives hint 
an unquestionable right, as we observed before, to 
demand your serious attention. 

The other excuse is such as no man of a liberal 
mind would admit, unless compelled to it by the 

* 1 Cor. L 2T, 



300 THE DUTY OF 

clearest evidence. And in that case, he would rath- 
er withdraw himself from the instruction of one 
Whose views he had just cause to suspect, than 
urge his unfavourable opinion of him, as a reason 
for not duly attending to his admonitions. But 
common charity will oblige men to conclude, that 
those who discourse to them of the great things of 
God, sincerely mean to promote their good. And 
whoever considers the temporal advantages which 
many of this character forego, and the various in- 
conveniences and trials to which they expose them- 
selves in the exercise of their ministry, will allow 
iHiat'tbe presumption is strongly in their favour. 

It is admitted then, that they who preach the 
word of the kingdom liave your good, sirs, at heart* 
And may not an argument be drawn from hence 
to persuade you, to consider seriously v\hat they 
say ? Can you refuse them a request so reasonable 
in itself, and which will infinitely gratify them 
without the possibility of doing you any harm? 
Let the message they bring stand how it will at 
present in your mind, it is in their apprehension 
most true and important; and so far you give them 
credit. Can you wonder then, that seeing you in 
danger of perishing for ever, they are eager to 
pluck you as brands out of the. burning? and that 
perceiving an infinite good in prospect, they ar- 
dently wish you to become possessed of it ? Will 
you call this wish, this desire, this impulse of theirs, 
by any other name than good-will ? Ought it not 
t* attach them to you, and to draw forth come* 



CONSIDERATION, &C* ^W 

pondent affections in your breasts towards themf 
Will you take no account of their pains and la-: 
fcours, their struggles and conflicts, their tears and 
temptations ? Shall they exert all their powers in 
the study of God's word, to possess you of the 
rich treasure it contains? Shall they pour out 
iheir cries to heaven day and night for you ? Shall 
they travail in birth of you till Christ is formed 
in you? Shall they as his ambassadors, and in 
liis stead, beseech you to be reconciled to God? 
Shall they, in a word, by all that is dear to them 
and you, entreat you to consider the things that 
belong to your everlasting peace?— And can yoii 
<after all receive their message with cold indiffer- 
ence ; forget it as soon as you have heard it ; wish 
them, like those bidden to the marriage feast, to 
have you excused to the master of it; and send 
them back to him with this sad complaint, Who 
hath believed our report, and to whom is the arm of 
the Lord revealed? God forbid ! 0! consider the 
pain this will give their hearts ! And consider too, 
on the contrary, the joy they will feel, should your 
conduct be the reverse of what has been represent- 
ed ! No external token of respect can they possi- 
bly receive from you, that is to be mentioned at 
the same time with this — This, this is the reward 
of their ministry.— Again, 

THIRDLY, It is to be remembered, that 
preaching is a divine institution,* and that they 
who are called to dispense the gospel have, by vir~ 



30£ THE DUTY OF 

tue of that call, a claim to the attention of those to 
whom they are sent. 

I am sensible too many artful men have taken 
advantage of this idea to impose upon the creduli- 
ty of mankind, and so to obtrude upon the world 
opinions of a pernicious tendency both to the civil 
and religious interests of society. And too many, 
it must be added, under the character of christian 
ministers, have challenged a kind of reverence 
from the ignorant multitude to which they have no 
title; and without any view, it is to be feared, to 
promote what ought to be the grand object of their 
ministry. They have talked loudly of the digni- 
ty of the priesthood, of indelible character, and of 
I know not what occult quality annexed to their 
office and the manner of their admission to it, in- 
dependent of personal character. But these pre- 
tensions every faithful minister of Christ will re- 
ject with contempt, as no better than so many 
charms or spells, to enslave mankind to a sort of 
spiritual dominion, founded neither in reason nor 
the word of God. The position, however, just 
laid down, is capable of full and satisfactory proof. 

If we will regard the authority of scripture, 
preaching is a divine institution, and is to continue 
in the world to the end of time. When our Sa- 
viour ascended up into heaven, he commissioned 
his disciples to teach all nations,-* and to go into all 
the world, and preach the gospel to every creature :f 

* Matt* xxviii. 19* f Mark x\i. 15. 



CONSIDERATION, &C. 503 

and the promise annexed, Lo,I am with youalway 
even to the end of the world,* clearly shews that the 
commission was to extend to christian ministers of 
every age and country. The phrase of the end of 
the world could not mean here, as it sometimes 
does, the end of the Jewish dispensation, for the 
persons to whom the gospel was to be preached, 
were of the remotest countries — every creature. 
It is plain therefore he meant to say, that preach- 
ing was to be -received and acknowledged as his 
appointment; and that it should be succeeded 
through his influence and blessing, to the latest 
times. 

The apostle holds the same language when he 
tells us, that it pleased God by the foolishness of 
preaching to save them that believe ;\ and when he 
thus reasons with the Romans, How shall they call 
on him in whom they have not believed? And how 
shall they believe in him of whom they have not 
heard? And how shall they hear without a preach- 
er ? And how shall they preach, except they are sent? 
As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them, 
that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad ti- 
dings of good things !—So then, faith cometh by 
hearing, and hearing by the word of God.^ Agree- 
able to this we are commanded not to despise pro- 
phecyings, that is, preaching ;§ and to receive those 
who come in the name of Christ, with a regard 
suitable to the authority that sends them, and the 

* Matt, xxviii. 20. f l Cor. i. 21. 

t Rom. x. 14, 15, 17. § 1 Thess. v. 20* 



504 THE BUTT OF 

importance of the message they bring,* And sa 
there are many expressions of God's displeasure 
against those, who contemptuously refuse them 
that speak in his name j and many promises of his 
favour and blessing to those, who receive the word 
gladly, and search the scriptures to see whether 
these things are so. 

As to the question, How may we know who are 
wiled of God to preach the gospel ? it will be a 
sufficient reply to it here, without entering into 
particulars which would carry us too far j that ev- 
ery man's reason, if he will make proper use of 
it, consulting at the same time his bible, will ena- 
ble him to discover pretty clearly who are not call- 
ed of God : and it may and ought to be presumed 
of the rest, that he has raised them up and sent 
them. No one in his senses can suppose, that men 
who have not the pow T ers of utterance ; wha are 
grossly ignorant ; who live ill lives ; who are man- 
ifest perverters of the gospel ; who, weary of their 
callings, thrust themselves into the ministry 
against the opinion of wise and sober men, and 
the christian societies to which they belong; or 
who have no reasonable prospect of exercising 
their ministry to edification y I say, it is not ima- 
ginable that such men are called of God. But 
those of the contrary description ought in the 
judgment of charity to be so considered and receiv- 
ed, be the forms of their admission to this sacred 
office what they may. 

* See Matt, x, 40. Mark ix. 37— 4 K John'siiL Si. 



CONSIDERATION, &C. 305 

And now surely an argument may be drawn 
from their calling, to persuade men to the serious 
consideration of the business on which ministers 
are sent. Though they are not vested with mira- 
culous powers, nor exempted from the common 
frailties of humanity, they are yet as truly sent by 
God as were the prophets and apostles : and if by 
magnifying their office they may rouse the atten- 
tion of their hearers, and so be the instruments of 
saving their souls, their using this freedom is not 
only allowable but commendable. Yes, sirs, we 
will magnify our office, if by any means we may 
provoke you to emulation. We will presume to 
tell you that we are sent of God, if that will gain 
your ear — if that will fix your attention. In the 
name of God then ! and as ye will answer it at his 
dread tribunal ! we command you 'to hear us — we 
require you to consider the message we are charg- 
ed with.— 0! be persuaded! — But if ye will ob- 
stinately refuse, we can do no other than go back 
to him who sent us, and report your refusal. So 
we will do. Look ye to the consequence. If ye 
will perish — sad thought ! — we — we must be to 
you a savour of death unto death. — But let us now 
go on to argue the point, 

FOURTHLY, From the momentous nature of 
the business itself on which we are sent to you. 

It is upon no trilling concern, no matter of doubt- 
ful import, we address you. The message we have 
to deliver is of the highest importance, and sup- 
ported by the fullest evidence. In the civil affairs 

26^ 



506 



THE DUTY OK 



of life, truth and importance always give energy to 
a discourse. I am infinitely more affected with an 
argument that comes home to my property, per- 
son, and reputation ; than with the curious specu- 
lations of a philosopher, the warm reasoning of a 
politician, or the amusing talk of an historian. I 
shall not be a moment determining which shall 
Jiave my ear, he who comes to tell me of an estate 
ihat is fallen to me, or he who wishes to divert me 
with an idle dream. But the competition in this 
oase is infinitely less, than that between the most 
^weighty concern of the present life, and the salva* 
fion of an immortal soul. 

Religion carries upon the very face of it an im* 
gortance, not to be fully estimated by any humau 
measures. It has for its object a being of immense 
perfection, and for the seat of its residence a soul 
formed for immortality. It holds up to our view 
an infinite variety of truths, the most instructive 
and interesting. It possesses our minds of ideas, 
the most august and marvellous. It relieves our 
consciences of the bitterest pains, and pours into 
our bosoms the most refined joys. It makes a re- 
volution in the soul, converts lions into lambs, and 
raises men from a state of abject wretchedness to 
the highest pitch of honour and happiness. It ex- 
tends its influence through all the concerns of life, 
the vale of death, and an endless duration hereaf- 
ter. It brings near to the eye of faith the invisible 
realities of an eternal world, the joys of heaven and 
"the torments of hell, the last judgment; the burning 



GOXSIDEftATION, &C. 3Qf 

elements, the dissolving world, the general wreck 
of universal nature- 
Would you frame an idea of the importance of 
religion ? — listen to the dying groans of the incor- 
rigible sinner — fix your eyes on the placid counte- 
nance of the expiring christian — hear the triumph- 
ant shouts of an army of martyrs, passing through 
the flames of persecution to the joys of heaven- 
descend into the prison of hell, and take a view of 
the gloomy mansions of the damned — rise thence 
to the abodes of bliss above, and mingle with the 
general assembly and church of the first-born — n 
What shall I say ? — go to mount Calvary, and be- 
hold the Creator of the world expiring on a cross, 
to give existence to religion in the heart of man* 
Amid these scenes^ every thing accounted great 
among mortals vanishes into nothing — expires like 
a taper in the full blaze of the sun. States, king- 
doms, and empires disappear; the glory of the 
world passes away* And on the other hand, then 
heaviest loads of evils under which the christian 
groans, becomes light and momentary. — And now 
if these are the matters on which we discourse to 
you, are they not of all others the most important ? 
Should you not then give earnest heed to the things 
you hear ? 

But you will perhaps say, "Important as these 
matters may seem, if there is no truth in them, 
and they are only the reveries of a heated imagi- 
nation ; I am justified in paying no attention to 
t]i§uu" True, you am But then ^ou aught % 



308 the duty Gi- 

be well assured of your premises, before you draw 
your conclusion. On the contrary, you cannot but 
own it is possible these things may be true; yea, 
sometimes they strike you as highly probable. But 
we affirm that they are true, and bring positive 
proof in support of our affirmation. We tell you 
there verily is a reward for "the righteous, and a 
God that judgeth in the earth ; and that we have not 
followed cunningly devised fables, when we made 
known unto you the power and coming of our 
Lord Jesus Christ. And we appeal for the truth 
of what we thus affirm, to the testimony of the most 
authentic records ; to a series of miracles that can- 
not be rejected, without admitting facts more dif- 
ficult to be credited than these miracles themselves ; 
to a long train of prophecies, some of which have 
been fulfilled, and others are now fulfilling before 
your eyes ; to the purity and sublimity of the chris- 
tian doctrine; to the wonderful effects it has pro- 
duced in the hearts and lives of men; to its pro- 
gress in the world, amidst the powerful and perse- 
vering opposition it has met with from passion, 
pride, and prejudice; and to the consent of the 
wisest and best men that have flourished on our 
earth, and who many thousands of them have seal- 
ed their faith with their blood. 

And will you amidst all this evidence dispute the 
truth of these things ? Yea, more than this, will 
you confidently assert, that there is not the ap- 
pearance of truth in them? For so much you 
must assert, before you can account with consist- 



ency, for that inattention, from which we are so 
earnestly dissuading you. What horrid perversa* 
ness this ! Shall we take you to the foot of mount 
Sinai, and shew you the great God descending 
thereon, in fire, and blackness, and darkness, and 
tempest? Shall we lead you from thence to the 
sepulchre of the crucified Jesus, and present him 
to your view rising from his grave, and passing 
up through the clouds into heaven ? And will you 
pronounce religion a cunningly devised fable? 
How determined such prejudice ! How inveterate 
such enmity J 

But perhaps you, sirs, hold another kind of lan- 
guage. Like Gallio the Roman deputy, you care 
for none of these things, nor are you anxious to 
find an excuse for your indifference. We tell you 
of a heaven and a hell, of death and judgment, of 
a Saviour and the great things he has done, of re* 
ligion and the blessings it proposes, of a soul and 
all it is capable of enjoying and suffering ; and 
you coolly reply, " It may be so for aught we 
know : we hear you, but will give ourselves no 
further trouble about it." What stupid infatua- 
tion ! Surely such conduct, if persisted in, cannot 
fail of bringing down the vengeance of almighty 
God on your devoted heads* 

Hear the reasoning of the apostle upon this sub- 
ject, when exhorting men to the great duty we are 
now enforcing. Therefore we ought to give the 
more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, 
iht at any time we should kt them slip. For if thn 



310 THE DUTY OF 

word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every trans- 
gression and disobedience received a just recommence 
of reward: how shall we escape if we neglect so 
great salvation, which at the first began to be spok- 
en by the Lord,, and was confirmed unto us by them 
that heard him; God also bearing them witness, both 
with signs and wonders, and with div>ers miracles 
and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own 
will?^—T\nm you see the importance of the things 
delivered, is an argument to engage our attention 
to them : as is also, 

FIFTHLY, The necessity of consideration in 
order to our profiting by the word. 

A discourse that is not understood, believed, arid 
felt, can do a man no good : it will neither guide 
his judgment, influence his temper, or govern his 
conduct. And whatever benefit we do receive 
from a discourse, it will be proportioned to the 
clearness of our perceptions, the strength of our 
faith, and the liveliness of our feelings. Let the 
matters, therefore, on which ministers treat be ever 
so momentous, if we affix no ideas to them, and so 
are neither persuaded of their reality nor affected 
with their importance, we cannot be edified. But 
how are we to understand, believe, and feel ; with- 
out hearing, reflecting, and considering? It hath 
been said, indeed, that some persons have been con- 
verted by a single word : and in such instances it 
may seem at first view as if there could be little if 
any consideration. But this is a mistake. The 
* Heb. ii. 1— 4. 



CONSIDERATION, &C Sll 

word (suppose eternity} which with th? blessing of 
God proved the mean of the man's conversion, 
did not operate as a spell or charm ; did not pro- 
duce a change in his mind he could not tell how or 
wherefore. No. The truth is, his attention was 
fixed to the sentiment couched under the word ; 
and so impressions were made on his heart, which 
after a course of reasoning issued in its conversion. 
It is then by attending, thinking, and considering 
that men are converted. God deals with us as 
reasonable creatures. No new faculties are given 
us. The order of nature is not reversed. We are 
not required to understand without thinking, to 
believe without considering, or to feel without re- 
ceiving impression. Of what importance then is 
the duty we are recommending ! Who hath ears 
to hear, let him hear. 

Nor does the doctrine of divine influences at all 
militate against this duty : on the contrary, it is^a 
great incentive to it. While you are hanging up- 
on the lips of the preacher, following him from 
sentence to sentence, and endeavouring to com- 
prehend his meaning ; who knows but divine light 
may spring up in your minds, and a new bias be 
given to your will? Faith comes by hearing :% and 
while Lydia was thus employed, the Lord opened 
her heart to attend to the things spoken by PanLj 
While you are calling over what you have heard, 
examining yourselves by it, and searching the 
scriptures to see whether these things are so \ who 

* Rom. x. 17. f Acts xvi. i4. 



3*ft 



THE DUTY OF 



knows but God may gi^e i/oti understanding,* cir* 
sumcise your heart to love him,} and incline you U 
Ms testimonies.^ 

The same obligation that lies upon us to dis- 
burse to you of the great things of religion, lies 
upon you to consider them. It is our duty, assur- 
ed that God will judge the world, to command all 
men every where to repent :§ knowing the terror of 
the Lord, to persuade them :|| and, having the word 
ef reconciliation committed to us, to beseech them in 
Christ's stead to be reconciled unto God.^\ We 
cannot, indeed, command success. But shall we, 
therefore, forbear the discharge of our duty ? That 
would be most unreasonable and disingenuous. 
Mo. Animated by this divine doctrine of the in- 
fluence of the Holy Spirit, we will apply ourselves 
•with the greater ardour to our work. In like 
inanner, it is your duty to hear, consider, read, 
and pray* A superior power, however, is ne- s 
cessary to renew your heart. But will you, there- 
fore, neglect your duty ? That would be most 
unreasonable and disingenuous. No. Rather let 
this divine doctrine become an argument to quick- 
en you, as well as us, with redoubled vigour te 
your duty. Consider what we say, and the Lord 
give you understanding. — But it should be further 
remembered, that as without attention and con- 
sideration there is no profiting by the word, so, 

* 2 Tim. ii. 7. f D eut. xxx. 6. J Psal. cxix. 36. 

§ Acts xvii. 30, 31. <1 % Cor, v. 11. f 2 Cor. v. \% 2& 



CONSIDERATION, &6. SIS 

SIXTHLY, There are many obstructions in 
the way of this duty, the recollection of which 
ought to have the force of an argument to excite 
and animate us to it. 

What these obstructions are we have shewn you. 
Our Lord represents them in a very striking man- 
ner in the parable we have been explaining. He 
tells us that satan, sin, and the world exert their 
utmost powers to prevent the natural and proper 
operation of the word on the heart : and this their 
purpose they effect by dissuading men from a calm 
and serious attention to it. Satan, the wicked one, 
CGines and catches away the word as soon as it is 
sown, that they may not believe and be saved. He 
endeavours to divert their thoughts from it while 
they are hearing it, or to excite prejudices in their 
breasts against it, or to hinder their recollection of 
it afterwards. What a subtle malicious adversa- 
ry this ! The heart too is indisposed to receive the 
word. It is hard and unyielding, like stony or 
rocky ground. The understanding admits not eas- 
ily the light of divine truth : the will is not with- 
out difficulty subjected to it: and the passions, 
carried away by an unnatural and violent impulse, 
prevent the due operation of the word on the judg- 
ment and conscience, and so defeat the salutary 
end for which it is preached. Men receive the word 
with gladness: but having no root in themselves, 
they endure only for a time; afterward when trib- 
ulatiou or persecution ariseth because of the word, 
they are offended. And then the world is a great 

27 



314 THE DUTY OF 

hinderance to the success of the word. As the 
thorns springing up with the seed choke it, so the 
cares, ri&hes, and pleasures of the world, choke the 
word, and the man becomes unfruitful. His time 
is so taken up with the affairs of life, that he has 
not leisure for meditation. His heart is so op- 
pressed with anxious cares, or so elated with the 
Jiope of gain, or so fascinated with sensual grati- 
fications, that he knows not how to compose his 
mind to consideration. And the more deeply he 
enters into the spirit of the world, the more is his 
aversion to religion confirmed. So that it is easier 
for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than 
for a rich man, that is, a man who makes the 
world his object, to enter into the kingdom of God.* 
Now taking all these circumstances into view, 
and at the same time remembering what was just 
said of the infinite importance of religion ; we pos- 
sess a further powerful motive to consideration. 
The inattention of Archimedes to his personal 
safety, at the sacking of the famous city of Syra- 
cuse, was truly wonderful. So intent was he upou 
demonstrating his problem, that when the Roman 
soldiers entered his study with a demand on his 
life, all the favour he had to ask of them was, that 
he might not be disturbed till he had finished the 
business he was about. Strange! Self preserva- 
tion, o>ie would have thought, should have taken 
the precedence of every other consideration j and 

* Mark x. 25; 



CONSIDERATION, &C 315 

of consequence taught him, before the fatal moment 
arrived, to dismiss his studies, and take the pro- 
per measures for his escape. And is it not equally 
wonderful that men should not feel the force of the 
motive we are now urging, in concurrence with 
that of the importance of religion \ to provoke 
them to consideration ? 

If a man knew his house to be on fire, would he 
suffer his attention to be diverted from so alarm- 
ing a circumstance by the amusements of the fam- 
ily, or the business of the accosnpting house ? No. 
His danger would so wholly occupy his mind, as 
to thrust every other concera from Ids view, and 
rouse him into immediate action. And shall we, 
sirs, whose life, whose happiness, whose all is at 
stake ; suffer ourselves to be lulled into a fatal se- 
curity by the machinations of satan, the deceitful 
reasonings of our own hearts^ and the vain allure- 
ments of the world? On the contrary, should not 
the insidious attempts of those enemies rouse our 
indignation, and their open assaults animate us to 
every possible exertion ? What ! shall the wicked 
one, like a bird of prey, watch his opportunity to 
catch away the good seed as soon as it falls on the 
ground ; and we know it, and yet not be on our 
guard? Shall he go about like a roaring lion,, 
seeking whom he may devour ; and we see him 
approaching, and yet make no resistance?* Shall 
he have great wrath, because he knoweth his time 

* 1 Peter v. & 



316 



THE DUTY OE 



is short ;* and we none to oppose him, though we 
know our time is equally short ? Shall he be ever 
plotting how to .carry his malevolent designs into 
execution, and we be stupidly thoughtless and 
inconsiderate ? Can such a base kind of coward- 
ice as this consist with the character of men of 
sense and spirit? Let us take example of him, and 
if opposition creates watchfulness and attention 
on his part, let it have the same effect on ours. 

This reasoning will likewise apply to all the 
other obstructions to consideration of which we 
have so largely discoursed, I mean those arising 
from irregular passions in combination with 
worldly cares and pleasures. The more loud and 
clamorous these disturbers of our devotion are, 
the more vigorous and spirited should be our re- 
sistance to their solicitations. Reflect then, we 
beseech you, when going to the house of God, while 
there, and as you are coming from thence; on this 
formidable confederacy among your enemies, to 
prevent your acquiring 3he most inestimable gain, 
and to secure your final condemnation : and let 
this alarming reflection rouse your attention. 

SEVENTHLY, The authority that enjoins this 
duty upon us, adds infinite weight to all that has 
been said. 

To attend diligently to the reasonings and per- 
suasions of those who publish the gospel in our 
ears, is the solemn command of the great God : of 



* P^ev. xii. 12, 



CONSIDERATION, &C* 3W^ 

him who is above all, fills all, and is the end of all 
things ; who made us, made us reasonable crea- 
tures, and will call us to an account for the use of 
our reason ; who has heaven and earth at his dis- 
posal, and is at no loss for means to punish those 
who dispute his authority, and to reward those 
who diligently seek him; who, in short, can in- 
stantly blot us out of existence, or sink us into an 
abyss of endless misery. What an immense Be- 
ing this ! Can we think of him, and not shudder 
at the idea of wilful disobedience to his commands? 
He hath signified his will to us, by the light of 
nature, by the holy scriptures, and by the minis- 
ters of his gospel. Reason is the voice of God. 
It was given us to direct our conduct, and though 
enfeebled by human apostacy, it clearly teaches 
us our obligations to this great duty of considera- 
tion. The scriptures too are the voice of God, 
and they enjoin this duty on us with the greatest 
earnestness and solemnity. / have set watchmen 
over you, hearken to the sound of the trumpet.* Be- 
Here the prophets, and ye shall prosper.] Hearken 
diligently — Hear> and your soul shall live.\ Give 
earnest heed to the things ye hear.§ Who hath ears 
to hear, let him hear. It were endless to cite pas- 
sages of this sort with which the scriptures esery 
where abound. And then the voice of ministers, 
if agreeable to the bible, is the voice of God ; s© 

* Jer vi. 17. f° Chron. xx. 29* 

* Isa. lv. .,3. § Heb.ii. 1. 

2F^ 



3 IS 



THE DUTY tt 



that, as Christ says, if we hear them, we hear Kim: 
and if we despise them, we despise him.* And how 
earnestly they beseech us to consider what they 
say you need not be again told. 

Can it then be doubted whether that considera- 
tion we have been exhorting you to, is a duty en- 
joined upon you by the great God ? It is his com- 
mand : and will you pay no attention to it ? When 
God spake those solemn words from mount Sinai, 
Hear, Israel; think you the wretch who should 
have dared to say, I will not hear ; would have es- 
caped instant punishment? No. The hands of 
the whole congregation would have been upon 
him : no eye would have pitied him. Nor can you 
with reason plead in excuse for your inattention, 
that God does not now speak to us, as he did then, 
with an audible voice from heaven. For if the 
manner in which he communicates his will to you 
under the present dispensation, is more mild and 
gentle than under the former ; if the small still 
voice of the gospel is better adapted to allure you 
to ronsideration, than that of an angel or one just 
risen from the dead ; and if you have sufficient 
evidence of its divine authority, yea, the full com- 
plement of external evidence arising from the 
union of the Mosaic and Christian institutions: it 
will follow that your guilt, instead of being ex- 
tenuated, is in no small degree aggravated. How 
tlien will you escape who neglect this great salva* 



* X-uke x. i6i 



eexsiDERATioisr, &c. SW 

Uon ?* No excuse can be framed for your disobe- 
dience. It is rebellion, wilful rebellion, the ut- 
most effort of rebellion. To say you will not 
obey this or that command of God, is horrid inso- 
lence; but to say you will not give him the hear- 
ing, is at once to violate all his commands, and to 
offer him the highest possible indignity. What 
punishment does not such conduct deserve ? And 
can you wonder, persisting in your obstinacy, that 
the fierce wrath of almighty God should smoke 
against you? 

Hear the sentence of his word : it hath gone oui 
of his lips, and will speedily be executed. Every 
soul which will not hear* shall be destroyed from 
among the people.} They refused to hear my words 9 
therefore, behold, J will bring evil upon them which 
they shall not be able to tscape.-\. Whosoever, says 
Christ to his ministers, shall not receive yov 9 and 
hear your words ; it shall be more tolerable for the 
land of Sodom and Gomorrah, in the day of judg- 
ment, than for them.§ The Lord Jesus shall be re- 
vealed from heaven, with his mighty angels, in 
flaming f re, to take vengeance on them that know 
not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord 
Jesus ChrwU\\ What an awful day will that be! 
And can you lay your hands on your hearts, and 
say, that the language of the blessed God to such 
obstinate sinners in their extremity, is unjust? 

• Heb. ii. 3. f Acts iii. 23, J Jer. xi. 10, 11, 

§ Matt. x. 14, 15, g % These, i.7, 8, 



SSd «a?H15 BUTT #B 

Because I have called, and ye refused, I have sfrefclu 
ed out my hand, and no man regarded; but ye have 
set at nought all my counsel, und would '.one of my 
reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity, I will 
mock when your fear cometh; when your fear com- 
eth as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a 
whirlwind ; when distress and anguish cometh upon 
youJ? — But I have one argument more to add, and 
that is taken, 

EIGHTHLY, and lastly, from the advantage 
to be expected from consideration. 

That men are averse to this duty, the language 
of the text supposes ; and it is a fact too notorious 
to be disputed. But upon what principles are 
they averse to it ? Let us meet your prejudices, 
sirs, and endeavour to obviate them. — Is the busi- 
ness, in the first place, " impracticable?" Do we 
require you to stop the tide, to tear up mountains 
from their foundations, to pluck the sun from his 
orb, or reverse the order of nature ? No. We ask 
nothing of you, but what may be done, what others 
have done, and what you yourselves are capable 
of doing. 

" But, it is a difficult, painful, laborious kind of 
business." Say you so ? Where is the mighty 
difficulty of listening to a plain discourse, carry- 
ing away the leading ideas of it in your memory, 
comparing them with the dictates of conscience 
and scripture, and then going down on your knees, 

• Prov. i. 24— 27. 



CONSIDER ATIOK, &C. 321 

and begging God that what you have beard may- 
do you good ? Where is the hardship of all this ? 
You can reason and strive to get this world : and 
pray why cannot you use the same endeavours 
about another? You think hut much." of spending 
hours in the pursuit of wealth, and at your plea- 
sures : and why must it be deemed an herculean 
labour, to fix your attention for one hour t«*>a. 
sermon ; and to retire afterwards half an hour, to 
obtain satisfaction, whether what you have heard 
is true or false, of moment or of no account at all ? 
If men will make mountains of mole-hills, be 
afraid of their own shadows, and; consider every 
little exertion as hazardous to their existence ; 
there is an end not only to all great exploits, but 
to the common businesses of life. Bouse then 
from your sloth, put on resolution, and set about 
the duty we are recommending. 

"But, " say you,' 5 the result of consideration 
will, I fear, be unfavourable to me. 59 So then 
you think consideration will do you harm. — 
Strange ! If that were the case, we ought to dis- 
suade you from it. But would you be pleased, 
were we to wish you to take what we say for 
granted, without giving yourself the trouble to 
enquire into it? You would not. Why then 
should you be angry with us for pressing that up- 
on you, the contrary of which would reflect a dis- 
honour upon your understanding? — "But, you 
may chance to be persuaded of things you do not 
wish to believe." Aye, that's the matter. Here 



$m 



THE DUTY OF 



lies the grand difficulty". But bow unmanly this 
excuse ! Truth is truth, whether you do or not 
believe it. If upon enquiry you become fully satisfi- 
ed that religion is an empty dream, the event will 
be to your wish, and you will go on sinning with 
greater ease to yourself than ever. If on the con- 
trary it should prove to be true, the knowledge 
and persuasion of this great truth, however un- 
welcome to you* may. in the end be of infinite ad- 
vantage. To urge men to the consideration of 
dangers which there is no possibility of escaping,, 
would be cruel. But that is not the case here. 
Though it should turn out that you are a miserable 
sinner, in danger of suffering the wrath of God, 
and without any help in yourself; yet year case is 
not desperate, there is help in the gospel, The 
same motive therefore that induces us *o hold up 
these painful truths to your view, should induce 
you to consider them. But be the event how it 
may, it is a reflection on your understanding and 
resolution to refuse to consider a question, for fear 
the reply to it should not be agreeable. And in- 
deed this excuse of yours is a presumptive argu- 
ment that religion is true, or at least that you have 
your apprehensions after all that it is not a delu- 
sion. 

But you go on to object, " If I listen to your ad* 
Tice, and become a convert to religion, I must re- 
Bounce habits I have contracted, break off my ga^ 
acquaintance, and give up all my future wordly 
prospects ; and on the contrary, must be content- 



CONSIDERATION, &C. 32 S 

to spend the remainder of my life in sadness and 
sorrow, deferring all hope of happiness to a future 
state." But if the matter were as you have stated 
it, admitting there is a heaven for the righteous 
and a hell for the wicked ; you are not justified in 
conceiving of religion with horror, and starting 
back from consideration as an exercise utterly ini- 
mical to your real interests. If the habits you have 
contracted are evil, ought they not to be renounced ? 
If the company you associate with are dangerous, 
should they not be shunned? If the eager pursuit 
of worldly gain and pleasure will inevitably involve 
you in misery, should not such pursuits be discon- 
tinued ? And even though the remainder of your 
life were to be spent in, self-denial and affliction, 
you would have no cause, with the hope of heaven 
before you, to regret t\w exchange you had made of 
the service of sin for that of God and religion. It 
is our interest to submit patiently to the severest 
discipline inflicted in the school of wisdom, if there- 
by we may be prepared for the exalted joys and 
services to which we are to be admitted when at 
man's estate. 

But the truth is^ if the event of your attention 
and consideration should be, what you at present 
dread, yosr conversion from sin to God ; you will 
be a gainer in the highest degree* not in the future 
world only but in the present. The pleasures re- 
sulting from peace of conscience, communion with 
God, the hope of heaven, the exercise of the chris- 
tian temper, and the practice of all those duties otfr 



324 



THE DUTY GIT 



divine Master has enjoined ; the pleasures T say re- 
sulting hence are infinitely preferable to those 
\vh ch the gratification of our irregular appetites 
in their utmost extent can possibly afford. And 
O ! what heart can frame a conception of one thou- 
sandth part of the bliss which awaits the christian 
in the future world ! Eat I forbear enlarging 
here, and refer you to the account given in the for- 
mer discourse, of the blessedness of those wltose 
hu arts having been made honest and good, hear 
the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with pa- 
tience. 

I have only to add, before I dismiss the present 
argument; that as the duty of consideration is eve- 
ry where enjoined in the book of God, so it is en- 
forced by the most powerful motives and encourag- 
ing promises. Time would fail me were 1 to re- 
cite them, it shall suffice to comprize them all in 
the expressive words of Isaiah the evangelical pro- 
phet, and Paul the great apostle of the Gentiles. 
Hear, and your souls shall live ; says the former .•# 
Consider what I say, and the Lord give you under- 
standing in all things;] is the language of the latter. 

And now to close the whole. Who hath ears to 
hear, let him hear. Such is the language of reason, 
conscience, ministers, the holy scriptures, and the 
Lord Jesus Christ himself. And shall the united 
voice of these your best friends be rejected ? Shall 
an exhortation most reasonable in itself, and ad- 



* Isai. lv, 5. 



f 2 Tim. ii. 7. 



vflressed to you with the greatest earnestness, af- 
fection, and solemnity, be treated with contempt 1 
Have you no regard to decency and good manners ? 
— no sense of personal obligation to those who wish 
you well, and with tears beseech you to do justice 
to-yourselves ?— no conviction that what is requir- 
ed of you is just and prudent?— no presumption in 
your breasts that preaching may possibly be a di- 
vine institution ? — no apprehension that the mat- 
ters you are exhorted to consider and enquire into, 
may possibly be true and of the highest moment ? — 
no discernment that the considering them is neces- 
sary to your pronouncing definitively on them?— 
no jealously of your own hearts, that they may de- 
ceive you ; of the world, that it may impose upon 
you 5 and of the powers of darkness, that they may 
be plotting your ruin ? — no wish to approve your- 
selves to almighty God, no dread of his displeasure? 
. — no sense of the horrid baseness and ingratitude 
of treading under foot the Son of God, and doing 
despite to the Spirit of grace? In fine, are you so 
lost to all sense of your own interest, as to be wil- 
ling to forego the substantial comforts of religion 
here, and the transporting joys of heaven hereafter j 
and to endure the tremendous frowns of your pro- 
voked Judge on the great day of account, and 
the reproaches of your own guilty consciences in 
that place of torment prepared for the damned? 
God forbid that such should be your character! 
We hope better things of you, and things that ac- 
company salvation, though we thus speak* 

28 



526 THE DTTCT 61 MSrsiBEKATioff, &€. 

We beseech you then, by the tenderness we flat* 
ier ourselves you still have for us; by the good 
will you owe to your christian friends who pity 
you and pray for you ; by the mercies of God, the 
bowels of Christ, and the compassions of the ever 
blessed Spirit; by all, in a word, that is dear to 
you here and hereafter ; to consider these thing** 
Who hathiars to hwr 9 hi himhmn 



SUBSCRIBERS 5 NAMES, 

4 



RHODE ISLAND. 



ffopkintoiu 

Rev. Matthew Stillman 
Dea. Daniel Babcock 
Peleg Babcock 
Joseph Wells 
Christopher Lewis 
Joseph Potter, Esq. 
Thomas V. Wells 
George P: Babcock 
Asa Maxson 
William Potter 
Henry Green 
Abraham Coon 
Robert T. Potter 
Joel Maxson 
Simon Skenicks 
Amos Green 
Barney CrandaU 
Grott Perry, jr. 
Elanthan Babcock 
Lewis H. Trury 
Benjamin Greene, jr. 
Amos Barber, jr. 
Charles C. Burdick 
Oliver Babcock 
Luke Babcock 



Westerly* 

Adam Stillman 
Jonathan P. Stillma* 

CONNECTICUT. 

JV*. Stonington* 

Dea. J. Langworthy, jr. 
Dea. Daniel Lewis, jr. 
George Irish 
John Langworthy 
Robert Palmer 
Charles Davis 
Abigail Langworthy 
Martha Gardner 

Waterford* 

Jonathan Rogers 
Amelia Lamphert 
David Rogers 

Lebanon. 

Russii Clark© 



32S 



SUBSCRIBERS' names. 



NEW YORK. 
Lambert Merrill 

Petersburgfu 

John Wells 
Daniel Maxson 
Maxson Stillnian 
Luke Maxson 
Zebulon Scriver, 2d. 

Stephentown. 

Gardner Green 
Joseph Carpenter 
Thomas G. Carpenter 
Sylvantis Carpenter 
Solomon Carpenter 
Joshua B. Maxson 

Berlin. 

Wait Stillman 
Charles Saunders 
Lodowick Saunders 
John Green 
Winter Green 
Joseph Green 
James Hubbard 

Brookfield, 

Rev. Henry Clarke — 9 
Rev. Eli 8. Baily— 9 
Bea. William Utter-^9 
Charles L. Burdick- 



Augustus CrandalU 
Joshua Maxson 
Joshua Maxson, jr. 
Abel Stillman 
Joshua Whitford 
Cleavland & Covey 

"ScotL 

Nathan Clarke 
John Barber 
Holly Maxson 
Luke Lanphear 
Gardner Barber 
AsherM. Babcock 

Truxton. 

James K. Burdick 
Rowland T. Green 
Elias Irish 
Barbe Gardner 
Kinyon Gardner 
Zaccheus R. Maxson 
Zaccheus Maxson 

Be Buyter. 

Rev. John Green* 
Matthew Wells 
Elias Wells 
Sylvester Crumb 
William Burdick 

German. 

Luke Burdick 



SUBSCRIBERS' names. 



32» 



Jared Stillman 
Carey L. B§ebe 
William Burdick 
Thomas Stillman 
Daniel Burdick 
Jared Maxson 

Preston, 

Waite Clarke 
Davis Rogers 
Silas Rogers 
Ethan Rogers 

tSchenectadtj. 

John Maxson 
Jacob D. Babcock 
Daniel L. Wells 

Alfred. 

Clarke Crandall — 18 
Abel Burdick 
Daniel Babcock 
Abraham Crandall — 2 
George Lanphear 
Elijah Lewis 
James C. Burdick 
David Satterlee 
Richard Hull 
Gardner C. West 
Isaac Burdick, jr. 
Freeborn Hamilton 
Hiram Cornwell 
Nathan C. Williams 
Wells Green 



Silas Stillman 
George Saunders, jr. 
Jonathan Palmater 
Edward W. Burdick 
Maxson Green 
Jared Coon 
Elisha Coon 
Joseph Goodrich 
Asa Coon 
Daniel Pierce, jr. 
George Stillman 
Theodaty Blivea 
Nathan Pierce 
David Stillman 
Abraham AIIce 
Stephen Coon 
Oliver Coon 
Nathan Greeft 
Charles Coon 
Jesse Rogers 
Samuel Davis 
Reuben Morrow 
George Saunders 
Jesse S. Whitford 
Jesse Whitford 
Charity Burdick 
Esther Coon 
Lydia Coon 

NEW JERSEY, 

Cumberland County. 

Rev. Henry Sm alley- 
Re v. John Davis — 9 
Rev. Samuel Davis 
Caleb Sheppard, sen. 



3Sf 



&#BS«BIBE»S J NAMES, 



Ebenezer Davis, Esq* 
Jacob West, sen. 
David Wall in 
Dear Charles Davis 
Lewis Davis 
Zebadiah Davis 
Jonathan D. Ayars 
'Elhanan W. Davis 
Reese Ayars 
John T. Davis 
Charles J. Woodruff 
Rachel Adams 
Ann Mincti 
Samuel B. Davis 
Phinehas Sheppard 
Joseph Robinson 
John Swinney 
Jeremiah B. Davif 
Henry Rocap 
Hannah Bonhaot 
Ruth S. Davis 
Rachel EI well" 
Mercia Wood 
Agness Bassett 
Lewis Swinney 
Susan Swinney 
Collins S. Youngs 
Benjamin Youngs 
Maria Sheppard 
Hosea Sneathen 
Ignatius Thomson 
Moses Bateman, Esq. 

JBridgeton. 

Stephen Lupton 
Dr. Ephraim Buck 



Curtis Ogden 
N. L. Stratton 
John Buck 
Daniel Fithian 

Salem County, 

Ellis Avars 
Anthony Water* 
William Walker 
William Clark 
Matthew Morrison 
Smith Dare 

Middlesex County* 
Fiscatawmj. 

Dr. Elias Runyon 
Joseph Dunn 
Joel Dunn 

Jonathan R. Dunham 
Lewis Tits work — 9 

PENNSYLVANIA. 

Philadelphia. 

Rev. W. Staughton, d. b, 
Rev. John W. Scott 

VIRGINIA. 

Harrison* - 

Dea. Abel Bond 
William Vanhorn— rS 
Thomas Vanhora 



SlTBSCRXjBlillS* NAMES. 



$$} 



Abraham Vanhorn 
William Williams 
Cornelius Williams 
Juhn Forsythe 
Dea. Simeon Maxson 
Davis Loof borough 
Jonathan F. Randolph 
Peter Davis 
John Bailey 
Levi Bond 
Jacob Davis 
Moses H. Ales 
Abel Bond, jr. 
James Canada — £ 
Abner Batten 
Eli Vanhorn 
Zara Batten 



Jesse Davis 
Thomas Bond 
James Glendening 
Richard Bond — ft 
George J. Davis 
Ichabod Davis 
Stephen Davis 
George Davis 
Hannah Davis 
James Davis 
Nathan Davis, Esq e 
William G. Davis 
Joseph Davis 
Ezekiel Brown 
Samuel Ghana 
Jonathan Howell 
John S. Griffith. 



[A large proportion of the subscription papers were not &> 
reived in uaion to hare the names inserted here. 



.FvBMSBxas 



e j 



Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process. 
Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide 
Treatment Date: July 2005 

PreservationTechnologies 

A WORLD LEADER IN PAPER PRESERVATION 

1 1 1 Thomson Park Drive 
Cranberry Township. PA 16066 
(724)779-2111 



